Introduction to the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report discusses the Site mission and provides general information about the site. The U.S. DOE has established a new mission for Hanford including: Management of stored wastes, environmental restoration, research and development, and development of new technologies. The Hanford Reservation is located in south central Washington State just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. The approximately 1,450 square kilometers which comprises the Hanford Site, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas within the site which have historically been used for the production of nuclear materials, radioactive waste storage, and radioactive waste disposal.

Introduction to the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, C.E.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report discusses the Site mission and provides general information about the site. The U.S. DOE has established a new mission for Hanford including: Management of stored wastes, environmental restoration, research and development, and development of new technologies. The Hanford Reservation is located in south central Washington State just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. The approximately 1,450 square kilometers which comprises the Hanford Site, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas within the site which have historically been used for the production of nuclear materials, radioactive waste storage, and radioactive waste disposal

Close-out report Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve remedial action, Hanford, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-04-01

The Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) Reserve consists of 312 km 2 (120 mi 2 ) of shrub-steppe land on the western edge of the Hanford Site. It is located south of Highway 240 and east of the point where the Yakima River borders the site. The land was set aside as a natural research area in 1967 by the Atomic Energy Commission. Historically tribal land, the area was homesteaded by pioneers before it was taken by the federal government in 1943 as a security buffer to protect the Hanford Site defense production facilities. One antiaircraft artillery battery (latter converted to a Nike missile site) was located on this land; plutonium production plants or storage facilities were never built there. A more complete account can be found in the Preliminary Assessment Screening (PAS) Report for the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve, Hanford. With the recent change in mission at the Hanford Site from plutonium production to environmental cleanup, much attention has been given to releasing clean tracts of land for other uses. The ALE Reserve is one such tract of land. The existing areas of contamination in the ALE Reserve were considered to be small. In March 1993, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) signed and Agreement in Principle in which they agreed to expedite cleanup of the ALE Reserve. Cleanup activities and a draft close-out report were to be completed by October 1994. Additionally, DOE proposed to mitigate hazards that may pose a physical threat to wildlife or humans

Locations of criticality alarms and nuclear accident dosimeters at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-08-01

Hanford facilities that contain fissionable materials capable of achieving critical mass are monitored with nuclear accident dosimeters (NADS) in compliance with the requirements of DOE Order 5480.11, Chapter XI, Section 4.c. (DOE 1988). The US Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Field Office (RL) has assigned the responsibility for maintaining and evaluating the Hanford NAD system to the Instrumentation and External Dosimetry (I ampersand ED) Section of Pacific Northwest Laboratory's (PNL's) Health Physics Department. This manual provides a description of the Hanford NAD, criteria and instructions for proper NAD placement, and the locations of these dosimeters onsite

Safety evaluation report related to the construction of Skagit/Hanford Nuclear Project, Units 1 and 2. Docket Nos. STN 50-522 and 50-523

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-12-01

Supplement 3 to the Safety Evaluation Report for the application filed by Puget Sound Power and Light Company on behalf of itself, the Pacific Power and Light Company, The Washington Water Power Company, and the Portland General Electric Company for construction permits to build the Skagit/Hanford Nuclear Project has been issued by the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This supplement is an evaluation of the site relocation amendment to the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report. The proposed site has been relocated from Skagit County, Washington, to the Department of Energy's Hanford Reservation

Characterization program management plan for Hanford K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, L.A.

1995-01-01

A management plan was developed for Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) and Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL) to work together on a program to provide characterization data to support removal, conditioning and subsequent dry storage of the spent nuclear fuels stored at the Hanford K Basins. The Program initially supports gathering data to establish the current state of the fuel in the two basins. Data Collected during this initial effort will apply to all SNF Project objectives. N Reactor fuel has been degrading with extended storage resulting in release of material to the basin water in K East and to the closed conisters in K West. Characterization of the condition of these materials and their responses to various conditioning processes and dry storage environments are necessary to support disposition decisions. Characterization will utilize the expertise and capabilities of WHC and PNL organizations to support the Spent Nuclear Fuels Project goals and objectives. This Management Plan defines the structure and establishes the roles for the participants providing the framework for WHC and PNL to support the Spent Nuclear Fuels Project at Hanford

Westinghouse Hanford Company special nuclear material vault storage study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borisch, R.R.

1996-01-01

Category 1 and 2 Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) require storage in vault or vault type rooms as specified in DOE orders 5633.3A and 6430.1A. All category 1 and 2 SNM in dry storage on the Hanford site that is managed by Westinghouse Hanford Co (WHC) is located in the 200 West Area at Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) facilities. This document provides current and projected SNM vault inventories in terms of storage space filled and forecasts available space for possible future storage needs

Hanford K basins spent nuclear fuel project update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, N.H.; Hudson, F.G.

1997-07-01

Twenty one hundred metric tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are currently stored in the Hanford Site K Basins near the Columbia River. The deteriorating conditions of the fuel and the basins provide engineering and management challenges to assure safe current and future storage. DE and S Hanford, Inc., part of the Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. lead team on the Project Hanford Management Contract, is constructing facilities and systems to move the fuel from current pool storage to a dry interim storage facility away from the Columbia River, and to treat and dispose of K Basins sludge, debris and water. The process starts in K Basins where fuel elements will be removed from existing canisters, washed, and separated from sludge and scrap fuel pieces. Fuel elements will be placed in baskets and loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and into transportation casks. The MCO and cask will be transported to the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where free water within the MCO will be removed under vacuum at slightly elevated temperatures. The MCOs will be sealed and transported via the transport cask to the Canister Storage Building

Meteorological evaluation of multiple reactor contamination probabilities for a Hanford Nuclear Energy Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.; Diebel, D.I.

1978-03-01

The conceptual Hanford energy center is composed of nuclear power plants, hence the name Hanford Nuclear Energy Center (HNEC). Previous topical reports have covered a variety of subjects related to the HNEC including: electric power transmission, fuel cycle, and heat disposal. This report discusses the probability that a radiation release from a single reactor in the HNEC would contaminate other facilities in the center. The risks, in terms of reliability of generation, of this potential contamination are examined by Clark and Dowis

Expedited action recommended for spent nuclear fuel at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Illman, D.

1994-01-01

After six months of study, Westinghouse Hanford Co. has proposed an expedited strategy to deal with spent nuclear fuel stored in rapidly deteriorating basins at the Hanford site in southeastern Washington. The two-phase approach calls for radioactive fuel to be removed from the basins and placed in special canisters, transported by rail to a new vault to be constructed at Hanford,and held there until a processing facility is built. Then the fuel would be stabilized and returned to the vault for interim storage of up to 40 years. The plan calls for waste fuel and sludge to be removed by 2000. More than 2,100 metric tons of spent fuel--nearly 80% of DOE's total spent-fuel inventory nationwide--is housed at the Hanford site in the two obsolete concrete water basins, called K East and K West. A specific location for the storage and processing facilities has not yet been identified, and rounds of environmental impact statements remain to be completed. While a recommended path seems to have been identified, there are miles to go before this spent fuel finally sleeps

Radioactive particle resuspension research experiments on the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehmel, G.A.

1977-02-01

Experiments were conducted from 1972 to 1975 at several Hanford Reservation study sites to determine whether radioactive particles from these sites were resuspended and transported by wind and to determine, if possible, any interrelationships between wind speed, direction, airborne soil, and levels of radioactivity on airborne particles. Samples of airborne particles were collected with high volume air samplers and cascade particle impactors using both upwind and downwind air sampling towers. Most samples were analyzed for 137 Cs; some samples were analyzed for 239 Pu, 238 Pu and 241 Am; a few samples were analyzed for 90 Sr. This report summarizes measured air concentration ranges for these radionuclides at the study sites and compares air concentrations with fallout levels measured in 300 Area near the Reservation boundary

Characterization plan for Hanford spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abrefah, J.; Thornton, T.A.; Thomas, L.E.; Berting, F.M.; Marschman, S.C.

1994-12-01

Reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the Hanford Site Plutonium-Uranium Extraction Plant (PUREX) was terminated in 1972. Since that time a significant quantity of N Reactor and Single-Pass Reactor SNF has been stored in the 100 Area K-East (KE) and K-West (KW) reactor basins. Approximately 80% of all US Department of Energy (DOE)-owned SNF resides at Hanford, the largest portion of which is in the water-filled KE and KW reactor basins. The basins were not designed for long-term storage of the SNF and it has become a priority to move the SNF to a more suitable location. As part of the project plan, SNF inventories will be chemically and physically characterized to provide information that will be used to resolve safety and technical issues for development of an environmentally benign and efficient extended interim storage and final disposition strategy for this defense production-reactor SNF

Management of Hanford Site non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-03-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) needs to provide radiologically, and industrially safe and cost-effective management of the non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the Hanford Site. The proposed action would place the Hanford Site's non-defense production reactor SNF in a radiologically- and industrially-safe, and passive storage condition pending final disposition. The proposed action would also reduce operational costs associated with storage of the non-defense production reactor SNF through consolidation of the SNF and through use of passive rather than active storage systems. Environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with existing non-defense production reactor SNF storage facilities have been identified. DOE has determined that additional activities are required to consolidate non-defense production reactor SNF management activities at the Hanford Site, including cost-effective and safe interim storage, prior to final disposition, to enable deactivation of facilities where the SNF is now stored. Cost-effectiveness would be realized: through reduced operational costs associated with passive rather than active storage systems; removal of SNF from areas undergoing deactivation as part of the Hanford Site remediation effort; and eliminating the need to duplicate future transloading facilities at the 200 and 400 Areas. Radiologically- and industrially-safe storage would be enhanced through: (1) removal from aging facilities requiring substantial upgrades to continue safe storage; (2) utilization of passive rather than active storage systems for SNF; and (3) removal of SNF from some storage containers which have a limited remaining design life. No substantial increase in Hanford Site environmental impacts would be expected from the proposed action. Environmental impacts from postulated accident scenarios also were evaluated, and indicated that the risks associated with the proposed action would be small

DEACTIVATION AND DECOMMISSIONING ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY FOR THE PLUTONIUM FINISHING PLANT COMPLEX, HANFORD NUCLEAR RESERVATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, A.M.; Heineman, R.; Norton, S.; Miller, M.; Oates, L.

2003-01-01

Maintaining compliance with environmental regulatory requirements is a significant priority in successful completion of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) Nuclear Material Stabilization (NMS) Project. To ensure regulatory compliance throughout the deactivation and decommissioning of the PFP complex, an environmental regulatory strategy was developed. The overall goal of this strategy is to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations and/or compliance agreements during PFP stabilization, deactivation, and eventual dismantlement. Significant environmental drivers for the PFP Nuclear Material Stabilization Project include the Tri-Party Agreement; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA); the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA); the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA); the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA); the Clean Air Act (CAA), and the Clean Water Act (CWA). Recent TPA negotiation s with Ecology and EPA have resulted in milestones that support the use of CERCLA as the primary statutory framework for decommissioning PFP. Milestones have been negotiated to support the preparation of Engineering Evaluations/Cost Analyses for decommissioning major PFP buildings. Specifically, CERCLA EE/CA(s) are anticipated for the following scopes of work: Settling Tank 241-Z-361, the 232-Z Incinerator, , the process facilities (eg, 234-5Z, 242, 236) and the process facility support buildings. These CERCLA EE/CA(s) are for the purpose of analyzing the appropriateness of the slab-on-grade endpoint Additionally, agreement was reached on performing an evaluation of actions necessary to address below-grade structures or other structures remaining after completion of the decommissioning of PFP. Remaining CERCLA actions will be integrated with other Central Plateau activities at the Hanford site

Hanford K Basins spent nuclear fuels project update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, F.G.

1997-01-01

Twenty one hundred metric tons of spent nuclear fuel are stored in two concrete pools on the Hanford Site, known as the K Basins, near the Columbia River. The deteriorating conditions of the fuel and the basins provide engineering and management challenges to assure safe current and future storage. DE and S Hanford, Inc., part of the Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. lead team on the Project Hanford Management Contract, is constructing facilities and systems to move the fuel from current wet pool storage to a dry interim storage facility away from the Columbia River, and to treat and dispose of K Basins sludge, debris and water. The process starts in the K Basins where fuel elements will be removed from existing canisters, washed, and separated from sludge and scrap fuel pieces. Fuel elements will be placed in baskets and loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and into transportation casks. The MCO and cask will be transported into the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where free water within the MCO will be removed under vacuum at slightly elevated temperatures. The MCOs will be sealed and transported via the transport cask to the Canister Storage Building (CSB) in the 200 Area for staging prior to hot conditioning. The conditioning step to remove chemically bound water is performed by holding the MCO at 300 C under vacuum. This step is necessary to prevent excessive pressure buildup during interim storage that could be caused by corrosion. After conditioning, MCOs will remain in the CSB for interim storage until a national repository is completed

Hanford K Basins spent nuclear fuels project update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hudson, F.G.

1997-10-17

Twenty one hundred metric tons of spent nuclear fuel are stored in two concrete pools on the Hanford Site, known as the K Basins, near the Columbia River. The deteriorating conditions of the fuel and the basins provide engineering and management challenges to assure safe current and future storage. DE and S Hanford, Inc., part of the Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. lead team on the Project Hanford Management Contract, is constructing facilities and systems to move the fuel from current wet pool storage to a dry interim storage facility away from the Columbia River, and to treat and dispose of K Basins sludge, debris and water. The process starts in the K Basins where fuel elements will be removed from existing canisters, washed, and separated from sludge and scrap fuel pieces. Fuel elements will be placed in baskets and loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and into transportation casks. The MCO and cask will be transported into the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where free water within the MCO will be removed under vacuum at slightly elevated temperatures. The MCOs will be sealed and transported via the transport cask to the Canister Storage Building (CSB) in the 200 Area for staging prior to hot conditioning. The conditioning step to remove chemically bound water is performed by holding the MCO at 300 C under vacuum. This step is necessary to prevent excessive pressure buildup during interim storage that could be caused by corrosion. After conditioning, MCOs will remain in the CSB for interim storage until a national repository is completed.

Survey of Technetium Analytical Production Methods Supporting Hanford Nuclear Materials Processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TROYER, G.L.

1999-01-01

This document provides a historical survey of analytical methods used for measuring 99 Tc in nuclear fuel reprocessing materials and wastes at Hanford. Method challenges including special sludge matrices tested are discussed. Special problems and recommendations are presented

Heater test planning for the Near Surface Test Facility at the Hanford reservation. Volume II. Appendix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DuBois, A.; Binnall, E.; Chan, T.; McEvoy, M.; Nelson, P.; Remer, J.

1979-04-01

Volume II contains the following information: theoretical support for radioactive waste storage projects - development of data analysis methods and numerical models; injectivity temperature profiling as a means of permeability characterization; geophysical holes at the Near Surface Test Facility (NSTF), Hanford; proposed geophysical and hydrological measurements at NSTF; suggestions for characterization of the discontinuity system at NSTF; monitoring rock property changes caused by radioactive waste storage using the electrical resistivity method; microseismic detection system for heated rock; Pasco Basin groundwater contamination study; a letter to Mark Board on Gable Mountain Faulting; report on hydrofracturing tests for in-situ stress measurement, NSTF, Hole DC-11, Hanford Reservation; and borehole instrumentation layout for Hanford Near Surface Test Facility

The economic and community impacts of closing Hanford's N Reactor and nuclear materials production facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, M.J.; Belzer, D.B.; Nesse, R.J.; Schultz, R.W.; Stokowski, P.A.; Clark, D.C.

1987-08-01

This study discusses the negative economic impact on local cities and counties and the State of Washington of a permanent closure of nuclear materials production at the Hanford Site, located in the southeastern part of the state. The loss of nuclear materials production, the largest and most important of the five Department of Energy (DOE) missions at Hanford, could occur if Hanford's N Reactor is permanently closed and not replaced. The study provides estimates of statewide and local losses in jobs, income, and purchases from the private sector caused by such an event; it forecasts impacts on state and local government finances; and it describes certain local community and social impacts in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco) and surrounding communities. 33 refs., 8 figs., 22 tabs

Just in Time DSA-The Hanford Nuclear Safety Basis Strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olinger, S. J.; Buhl, A. R.

2002-02-26

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) is responsible for 30 hazard category 2 and 3 nuclear facilities that are operated by its prime contractors, Fluor Hanford Incorporated (FHI), Bechtel Hanford, Incorporated (BHI) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The publication of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 830, Subpart B, Safety Basis Requirements (the Rule) in January 2001 imposed the requirement that the Documented Safety Analyses (DSA) for these facilities be reviewed against the requirements of the Rule. Those DSA that do not meet the requirements must either be upgraded to satisfy the Rule, or an exemption must be obtained. RL and its prime contractors have developed a Nuclear Safety Strategy that provides a comprehensive approach for supporting RL's efforts to meet its long term objectives for hazard category 2 and 3 facilities while also meeting the requirements of the Rule. This approach will result in a reduction of the total number of safety basis documents that must be developed and maintained to support the remaining mission and closure of the Hanford Site and ensure that the documentation that must be developed will support: compliance with the Rule; a ''Just-In-Time'' approach to development of Rule-compliant safety bases supported by temporary exemptions; and consolidation of safety basis documents that support multiple facilities with a common mission (e.g. decontamination, decommissioning and demolition [DD&D], waste management, surveillance and maintenance). This strategy provides a clear path to transition the safety bases for the various Hanford facilities from support of operation and stabilization missions through DD&D to accelerate closure. This ''Just-In-Time'' Strategy can also be tailored for other DOE Sites, creating the potential for large cost savings and schedule reductions throughout the DOE complex.

Just in Time DSA the Hanford Nuclear Safety Basis Strategy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JACKSON, M.W.

2002-06-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) is responsible for 30 hazard category 2 and 3 nuclear facilities that are operated by its prime contractors, Fluor Hanford, Incorporated (FHI), Bechtel Hanford, Incorporated (BHI) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The publication of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 830, Subpart B, Safely Basis Requirements (the Rule) in January 2001 requires that the Documented Safety Analyses (DSA) for these facilities be reviewed against the requirements of the Rule. Those DSAs that do not meet the requirements must either be upgraded to satisfy the Rule, or an exemption must be obtained. RL and its prime contractors have developed a Nuclear Safety Strategy that provides a comprehensive approach for supporting RL's efforts to meet its long-term objectives for hazard category 2 and 3 facilities while also meeting the requirements of the Rule. This approach will result in a reduction of the total number of safety basis documents that must be developed and maintained to support the remaining mission and closure of the Hanford Site and ensure that the documentation that must be developed will support: Compliance with the Rule; A ''Just-In-Time'' approach to development of Rule-compliant safety bases supported by temporary exemptions; and Consolidation of safety basis documents that support multiple facilities with a common mission (e.g. decontamination, decommissioning and demolition [DD&D], waste management, surveillance and maintenance). This strategy provides a clear path to transition the safety bases for the various Hanford facilities from support of operation and stabilization missions through DD&D to accelerate closure. This ''Just-In-Time'' Strategy can also be tailored for other DOE Sites, creating the potential for large cost savings and schedule reductions throughout the DOE complex.

Just in Time DSA the Hanford Nuclear Safety Basis Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

JACKSON, M.W.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) is responsible for 30 hazard category 2 and 3 nuclear facilities that are operated by its prime contractors, Fluor Hanford, Incorporated (FHI), Bechtel Hanford, Incorporated (BHI) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The publication of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 830, Subpart B, Safely Basis Requirements (the Rule) in January 2001 requires that the Documented Safety Analyses (DSA) for these facilities be reviewed against the requirements of the Rule. Those DSAs that do not meet the requirements must either be upgraded to satisfy the Rule, or an exemption must be obtained. RL and its prime contractors have developed a Nuclear Safety Strategy that provides a comprehensive approach for supporting RL's efforts to meet its long-term objectives for hazard category 2 and 3 facilities while also meeting the requirements of the Rule. This approach will result in a reduction of the total number of safety basis documents that must be developed and maintained to support the remaining mission and closure of the Hanford Site and ensure that the documentation that must be developed will support: Compliance with the Rule; A ''Just-In-Time'' approach to development of Rule-compliant safety bases supported by temporary exemptions; and Consolidation of safety basis documents that support multiple facilities with a common mission (e.g. decontamination, decommissioning and demolition [DD and D], waste management, surveillance and maintenance). This strategy provides a clear path to transition the safety bases for the various Hanford facilities from support of operation and stabilization missions through DD and D to accelerate closure. This ''Just-In-Time'' Strategy can also be tailored for other DOE Sites, creating the potential for large cost savings and schedule reductions throughout the DOE complex

Just in Time DSA-The Hanford Nuclear Safety Basis Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olinger, S. J.; Buhl, A. R.

2002-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) is responsible for 30 hazard category 2 and 3 nuclear facilities that are operated by its prime contractors, Fluor Hanford Incorporated (FHI), Bechtel Hanford, Incorporated (BHI) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The publication of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 830, Subpart B, Safety Basis Requirements (the Rule) in January 2001 imposed the requirement that the Documented Safety Analyses (DSA) for these facilities be reviewed against the requirements of the Rule. Those DSA that do not meet the requirements must either be upgraded to satisfy the Rule, or an exemption must be obtained. RL and its prime contractors have developed a Nuclear Safety Strategy that provides a comprehensive approach for supporting RL's efforts to meet its long term objectives for hazard category 2 and 3 facilities while also meeting the requirements of the Rule. This approach will result in a reduction of the total number of safety basis documents that must be developed and maintained to support the remaining mission and closure of the Hanford Site and ensure that the documentation that must be developed will support: compliance with the Rule; a ''Just-In-Time'' approach to development of Rule-compliant safety bases supported by temporary exemptions; and consolidation of safety basis documents that support multiple facilities with a common mission (e.g. decontamination, decommissioning and demolition [DD and D], waste management, surveillance and maintenance). This strategy provides a clear path to transition the safety bases for the various Hanford facilities from support of operation and stabilization missions through DD and D to accelerate closure. This ''Just-In-Time'' Strategy can also be tailored for other DOE Sites, creating the potential for large cost savings and schedule reductions throughout the DOE complex

Formal training program for nuclear material custodians at Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, D.D.

1979-01-01

Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL) has established a formal training program for nuclear material (NM) custodians. The program, designed to familiarize the custodian with the fundamental concepts of proper nuclear materials control and accountability, is conducted on a semiannual basis. The program is prepared and presented by the Safeguards and Materials Management Section of HEDL and covers 14 subjects on accountability, documentation, transportation, custodian responsibilities, and the safeguarding of nuclear material

Hanford site environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacson, R.E.

1976-01-01

A synopsis is given of the detailed characterization of the existing environment at Hanford. The following aspects are covered: demography, land use, meteorology, geology, hydrology, and seismology. It is concluded that Hanford is one of the most extensively characterized nuclear sites

Environmental surveillance at Hanford for CY-1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1975-04-01

During 1974, the work at Hanford included N Reactor operation, nuclear fuel fabrication, liquid waste solidification, continued construction of the Fast Flux Test Facility, continued construction of Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) No. 2 power reactor, Arid Lands Ecology studies, as well as continued use of a variety of research and laboratory facilities. Environmental data collected during 1974 showed continued compliance of Hanford operations with all applicable state and federal regulations. Levels of radioactivity in the atmosphere from Hanford operations at all offsite sampling locations were indistinguishable from levels due to natural causes and fallout from nuclear detonations in the atmosphere. Air quality measurements of NO 2 in the Hanford environs recorded a maximum yearly average concentration of 0.006 ppM or 12 percent of the ambient air standard. There was no indication that Hanford operations contributed significantly to these levels. All SO 2 results were less than the detection limit of 0.005 ppM or 25 percent of the ambient air quality standard. Routine radiological, chemical, biological, and physical analyses of Columbia River water upstream and downstream of the Hanford Reservation operations with the possible exception of water temperature. Levels of radioactivity were similar at both locations and were due to natural and fallout radioactivity. Estimates are included of the radiation dose to the human population within an 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius of the site during 1974. Methods used in calculations of the annual dose and 50-year dose commitment from radioactive effluents are discussed. (U.S.)

Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project recommended path forward

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulton, J.C.

1994-10-01

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (the Project), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy-commissioned Independent Technical Assessment (ITA) team, has developed engineered alternatives for expedited removal of spent nuclear fuel, including sludge, from the K Basins at Hanford. These alternatives, along with a foreign processing alternative offered by British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), were extensively reviewed and evaluated. Based on these evaluations, a Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) Recommended Path Forward for K Basins spent nuclear fuel has been developed and is presented in Volume I of this document. The recommendation constitutes an aggressive series of projects to construct and operate systems and facilities to safely retrieve, package, transport, process, and store K Basins fuel and sludge. The overall processing and storage scheme is based on the ITA team's proposed passivation and vault storage process. A dual purpose staging and vault storage facility provides an innovative feature which allows accelerated removal of fuel and sludge from the basins and minimizes programmatic risks beyond any of the originally proposed alternatives. The projects fit within a regulatory and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) overlay which mandates a two-phased approach to construction and operation of the needed facilities. The two-phase strategy packages and moves K Basins fuel and sludge to a newly constructed Staging and Storage Facility by the year 2000 where it is staged for processing. When an adjoining facility is constructed, the fuel is cycled through a stabilization process and returned to the Staging and Storage Facility for dry interim (40-year) storage. The estimated total expenditure for this Recommended Path Forward, including necessary new construction, operations, and deactivation of Project facilities through 2012, is approximately $1,150 million (unescalated)

FLUOR HANFORD (FH) MAKES CLEANUP A REALITY IN NEARLY 11 YEARS AT HANFORD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER, M.S.

2007-05-24

For nearly 11 years, Fluor Hanford has been busy cleaning up the legacy of nuclear weapons production at one of the Department of Energy's (DOE'S) major sites in the United States. As prime nuclear waste cleanup contractor at the vast Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state, Fluor Hanford has changed the face of cleanup. Fluor beginning on October 1, 1996, Hanford Site cleanup was primarily a ''paper exercise.'' The Tri-Party Agreement, officially called the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order - the edict governing cleanup among the DOE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington state - was just seven years old. Milestones mandated in the agreement up until then had required mainly waste characterization, reporting, and planning, with actual waste remediation activities off in the future. Real work, accessing waste ''in the field'' - or more literally in huge underground tanks, decaying spent fuel POO{approx}{approx}S, groundwater, hundreds of contaminated facilities, solid waste burial grounds, and liquid waste disposal sites -began in earnest under Fluor Hanford. The fruits of labors initiated, completed and/or underway by Fluor Hanford can today be seen across the site. Spent nuclear fuel is buttoned up in secure, dry containers stored away from regional water resources, reactive plutonium scraps are packaged in approved containers, transuranic (TRU) solid waste is being retrieved from burial trenches and shipped offsite for permanent disposal, contaminated facilities are being demolished, contaminated groundwater is being pumped out of aquifers at record rates, and many other inventive solutions are being applied to Hanford's most intransigent nuclear wastes. (TRU) waste contains more than 100 nanocuries per gram, and contains isotopes higher than uranium on the Periodic Table of the Elements. (A nanocurie is one-billionth of a curie.) At the same time, Fluor Hanford

Status report: conceptual fuel cycle studies for the Hanford Nuclear Energy Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merrill, E.T.; Fleischman, R.M.

1975-07-01

A summary is presented of the current status of studies to determine the logistics of onsite plutonium recycle and the timing involved in introducing the associated reprocessing and fabrication fuel cycle facilities at the Hanford Nuclear Energy Center

NO/sub x/ emissions from Hanford nuclear fuels reprocessing plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pajunen, A.L.; Dirkes, R.L.

1978-01-01

Operation of the existing Hanford nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities will increase the release of nitrogen oxides (NO/sub x/) to the atmosphere over present emission rates. Stack emissions from two reprocessing facilities, one waste storage facility and two coal burning power plants will contain increased concentrations of NO/sub x/. The opacity of the reprocessing facilities' emissions is predicted to periodically exceed the State and local opacity limit of twenty percent. Past measurements failed to detect differences in the ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration with and without reprocessing plant operations. Since the facilities are not presently operating, increases in the non-occupational ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration were predicted from theoretical diffusion models. Based on the calculations, the annual average ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration will increase from the present level of less than 0.004 ppM to less than 0.006 ppM at the Hanford site boundaries. The national standard for the annual mean ambient air NO 2 concentration is 0.05 ppM. Therefore, the non-occupational ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration will not be increased to significant levels by reprocessing operations in the Hanford 200 Areas

The economic and community impacts of closing Hanford's N Reactor and nuclear materials production facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scott, M.J.; Belzer, D.B.; Nesse, R.J.; Schultz, R.W.; Stokowski, P.A.; Clark, D.C.

1987-08-01

This study discusses the negative economic impact on local cities and counties and the State of Washington of a permanent closure of nuclear materials production at the Hanford Site, located in the southeastern part of the state. The loss of nuclear materials production, the largest and most important of the five Department of Energy (DOE) missions at Hanford, could occur if Hanford's N Reactor is permanently closed and not replaced. The study provides estimates of statewide and local losses in jobs, income, and purchases from the private sector caused by such an event; it forecasts impacts on state and local government finances; and it describes certain local community and social impacts in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco) and surrounding communities. 33 refs., 8 figs., 22 tabs.

Three-dimensional gravity investigation of the Hanford reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, B.H.; Deju, R.A.

1977-07-01

Models of the basalt surface buried under the Hanford reservation are constructed from gravity data. The method uses a modified third order polynomial surface to remove the regional effects and a gravity-geologic method to remove the water table effects. When these influences are subtracted from previous data, the anomaly remaining directly reflects the irregularity of the underlying basalt surface. The Umtanum Anticline and the Cold Creek Syncline are delineated beneath the overlying surficial deposits. Along the crest of the Umtanum Anticline, a number of gravity lows are evident. These may identify locations of breaching by an ancestral river. In addition, the data are examined to determine optimum gravity data spacing for modeling. Optimum results were obtained using a station separation of one per four square miles. Less will delineate only the major underlying structures. It is also very important to have all data points distributed in a regularly spaced grid

Hanford Nuclear Energy Center study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harty, H.

1976-03-16

Studies of a Nuclear Energy Center (NEC) at Hanford have not revealed any insurmountable technical problems, but problems have been identified that appear to be more difficult to resolve than for dispersed siting. Major technical developments in meteorology, and probably in seismology, are needed before an environmental report or safety analysis report could be prepared for an NEC. It would be helpful in further NEC studies if licensing requirements (and related criteria) were defined for them. An NEC will likely cause a step change in the amount of planning and involvement of regional groups in the energy picture compared to dispersed siting. The tools that must be developed for analysis of NECs will probably be used for evaluating dispersed siting in greater detail. NECs will probably bring about the use of dry or wet/dry cooling before it is required in equivalent amount for dispersed plants.

Hanford Nuclear Energy Center study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harty, H.

1976-01-01

Studies of a Nuclear Energy Center (NEC) at Hanford have not revealed any insurmountable technical problems, but problems have been identified that appear to be more difficult to resolve than for dispersed siting. Major technical developments in meteorology, and probably in seismology, are needed before an environmental report or safety analysis report could be prepared for an NEC. It would be helpful in further NEC studies if licensing requirements (and related criteria) were defined for them. An NEC will likely cause a step change in the amount of planning and involvement of regional groups in the energy picture compared to dispersed siting. The tools that must be developed for analysis of NECs will probably be used for evaluating dispersed siting in greater detail. NECs will probably bring about the use of dry or wet/dry cooling before it is required in equivalent amount for dispersed plants

Identification of crystals in Hanford nuclear waste using polarized light microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herting, D.L.

1984-09-01

The use of polarized light microscopy for identifying crystals encountered in Rockwell Hanford Operations chemical studies is described. Identifying characteristics and full-color photographs are presented for crystals commonly found in Hanford Site nuclear waste, including sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite, sodium aluminate, sodium phosphate, sodium fluoride, ammonium heptafluorozirconate, sodium sulfate, sodium carbonate, and ammonium nitrate. These characteristics are described in terms of birefringence, extinction position, interference figure, sign of elongation, optic sign, and crystal morphology. Background information on crystal optics is presented so that these traits can be understood by the nonmicroscopist. Detailed operational instructions are given so that the novice microscope user can make the proper adjustments of the instrument to search for and observe the identifying features of the crystals

Draft environmental assessment: reference repository location, Hanford Site, Washington. Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Section 112)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-12-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To determine their suitability, the reference repository location at the Hanford Site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations are reported in this draft environmental assessment (EA), which is being issued for public review and comment. The DOE findings and determinations that are based on these evaluations are preliminary and subject to public review and comment. A final EA will be prepared after considering the comments received on the draft EA. The reference repository location at Hanford is located in the Columbia Plateau, one of five distinct geohydrologic settings that are being considered for the first repository. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this draft EA, the DOE has found that the reference repository location at Hanford is not disqualified under the guidelines. The DOE has also found that it is suitable for site characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is proposing to nominate the reference repository location at Hanford as one of five sites suitable for characterization. Furthermore, having performed a comparative evaluation of the five sites proposed for nomination, the DOE has determined that the reference repository location at Hanford is one of three sites preferred for site characterization

The role of Quality Oversight in nuclear and hazardous waste management and environmental restoration at Westinghouse Hanford Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fouad, H.Y.

1994-05-01

The historical factors that led to the waste at Hanford are outlined. Westinghouse Hanford Company mission and organization are described. The role of the Quality Oversight organization in nuclear hazardous waste management and environmental restoration at Westinghouse Hanford Company is delineated. Tank Waste Remediation Systems activities and the role of the Quality Oversight organization are described as they apply to typical projects. Quality Oversight's role as the foundation for implementation of systems engineering and operation research principles is pointed out

Analysis of selected gravity profiles on the Hanford Reservation, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, J.T.; Richard, B.H.

1977-07-01

Regional gravity surveys have been conducted on the Hanford Reservation in the past. This analysis is an attempt at detailed gravity profiling over selected areas of the reservation. Over 450 gravity readings were taken during the summer of 1976. The Bouguer anomaly values of these stations, along with facies cross sections, were used to construct two-dimensional models. The models depict the buried basalt bedrock surface and the overlying sedimentary cover of the areas selected for profiling. In the eastern section of the reservation, the interpretation of the data suggests that there are three major buried valleys cut into the bedrock. These channels are most likely a combination of structural downwarping and erosion of these downwarps by an ancestral Columbia River. Along the western boundary of the reservation there are two closed depressions which are believed to be the result of the sub-fluvial vortex effect of Kolk erosion. It was found that, although two-dimensional gravity models are useful in determining the buried bedrock surface, they are ineffectual in delineating sedimentary contacts

Hanford External Dosimetry Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1990-10-01

This document describes the Hanford External Dosimetry Program as it is administered by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its Hanford contractors. Program services include administrating the Hanford personnel dosimeter processing program and ensuring that the related dosimeter data accurately reflect occupational dose received by Hanford personnel or visitors. Specific chapters of this report deal with the following subjects: personnel dosimetry organizations at Hanford and the associated DOE and contractor exposure guidelines; types, characteristics, and procurement of personnel dosimeters used at Hanford; personnel dosimeter identification, acceptance testing, accountability, and exchange; dosimeter processing and data recording practices; standard sources, calibration factors, and calibration processes (including algorithms) used for calibrating Hanford personnel dosimeters; system operating parameters required for assurance of dosimeter processing quality control; special dose evaluation methods applied for individuals under abnormal circumstances (i.e., lost results, etc.); and methods for evaluating personnel doses from nuclear accidents. 1 ref., 14 figs., 5 tabs

Hanford wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGhan, V.L.; Myers, D.A.; Damschen, D.W.

1976-03-01

The Hanford Reservation contains about 2100 wells constructed from pre-Hanford Works to the present. As of Jan. 1976, about 1800 wells still exist, 850 of which were drilled to the groundwater table; 700 still contain water. This report provides the most complete documentation of these wells and supersedes all previous compilations, including BNWL-1739

Hanford defense waste studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.; Zimmerman, M.G.; Soldat, J.K.

1981-01-01

PNL is assisting Rockwell Hanford Operations to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for the management of Hanford defense nuclear waste. The Ecological Sciences Department is leading the task of calculation of public radiation doses from a large matrix of potential routine and accidental releases of radionuclides to the environment

Behavior of technetium in alkaline solution: Identification of non-pertechnetate species in high-level nuclear waste tanks at the Hanford reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lukens, Wayne W. Jr.; Shuh, David K.; Schroeder, Norman C.; Ashley, Kenneth R.

2003-01-01

Technetium is a long-lived (99Tc: 213,000 year half-life) fission product found in nuclear waste and is one of the important isotopes of environmental concern. The known chemistry of technetium suggests that it should be found as pertechnetate, TcO4-, in the extremely basic environment of the nuclear waste tanks at the Hanford site. However, other chemical forms of technetium are present in significant amounts in certain tanks, and these non-pertechnetate species complicate the treatment of the waste. The only spectroscopic characterization of these non-pertechnetate species is a series of X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectra of actual tank waste. To better understand the behavior of technetium under these conditions, we have investigated the reduction of pertechnetate in highly alkaline solution in the presence of compounds found in high-level waste. These results and the X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra of these species are compared to the chemical behavior and XANES spectra of the actual non-pertechnetate species. The identity of the nonpertechnetate species is surprising

Hanford's Battle with Nuclear Waste Tank SY-101: Bubbles, Toils, and Troubles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stewart, Charles W.

2006-01-01

Radioactive waste tank SY-101 is one of 177 big underground tanks that store waste from decades of plutonium production at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in central Washington State. The chemical reactions and radioactivity in all the tanks make bubbles of flammable gas, mainly hydrogen along with a little methane and ammonia. But SY-101 was the most potent gas producer of all. Every few months the gas built up in the million gallons of extra-thick slurry until it suddenly came up in great rushing ''burps''. A few of the tank's larger burps let off enough gas to make the air space at the top of the tank flammable for a few hours. This flammable gas hazard became a dominating force in DOE nuclear waste management politics in the last two decades of the 20th century. It demanded the toil of scientists, managers, and officials from the time it was filled in 1980, until it was finally declared safe in January 2001. The tank seemed almost a personality--acting with violence and apparent malice, hiding information about itself, deceiving us with false indications, and sometimes lulling us into complacency only to attack in a new way. From 1990 through 1993, SY-101's flammable gas troubles were acknowledged as the highest priority safety issue in the entire DOE complex. Uncontrolled crust growth demanded another high-priority remedial effort from 1998 through April 2000. The direct cost of the bubbles, toils, and troubles was high. Overall, the price of dealing with the real and imagined hazards in SY-101 may have reached $250 million. The indirect cost was also high. Spending all this money fighting SY-101?s safety issues only stirred radioactive waste up and moved it around, but accomplished no cleanup whatever. Worse yet, the flammable gas problem spawned suspicions of a much wider danger that impeded and complicated cleanup in other 176 waste tanks for a decade. The real cleanup job has yet to be done. The SY-101 story is really about the collective experience of

Gravity studies of the Hanford Reservation, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Richard, B.H.; Lillie, J.T.; Deju, R.A.

1977-07-01

Gravity studies over Hanford added to the understanding of the geology of the Pasco Basin. The Bouguer anomaly indicated the basin is the site of the greatest thickness of Columbia River Basalt. The residual gravity anomaly delineated the major anticlinal and synclinal structures under Hanford. Three-dimensional gravity models characterized these buried folds by indicating their shape and relief. Finally, two-dimensional gravity models further delineated the shape of these buried folds and suggested locations where ancestral rivers may have breached the Umtanum anticlinal folds within the basin. Analysis of the three-dimensional model studies indicates that one-fifth of the original data would have delineated the buried structures. Two- or three-body gravity models produced better results than a poly-body model. Gravity was found to be an effective and rapid reconnaissance method of studying buried bedrock structures

Researchers take up environmental challenge at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Illman, D.L.

1993-01-01

The Hanford nuclear site, built to produce plutonium for the nation's first atomic weapons, occupies 560 square miles of desert in southeastern Washington State. Only 29 months after ground was broken at the site in March 1943, the Hanford project delivered the plutonium used in the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II. Secrecy surrounding the nuclear weapons program continued through the Cold War years, concealing the fact that for decades, hazardous and radioactive wastes were discharged to the ground, water, and air at Hanford. Only in 1986 were documents finally declassified--tens of thousands of them--describing the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Hanford facilities, allowing a picture to be pieced together of the environmental cost there of the nuclear weapons buildup. That cost may never be completely tallied. But Westinghouse Hanford, Co., the principal operations contractor on the site, and Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL), operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the Department of Energy (DOE), have now begun working together to develop new technologies that are needed to address the short-term and long-term challenges of environmental restoration at Hanford. The paper discusses the problems and possible solutions that are being investigated

Electrometallurgical treatment of metallic spent nuclear fuel stored at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laidler, J.J.; Gay, E.C.

1996-01-01

The major component of the DOE spent nuclear fuel inventory is the metallic fuel stored at the Hanford site in the southeastern part of the state of Washington. Most of this fuel was discharged from the N-Reactor; a small part of the inventory is fuel from the early Hanford production reactors. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to remove these fuels from the spent fuel storage pools in which they are presently stored, dry them, and place them in interim storage at a location at the Hanford site that is far removed from the Columbia River. It is not yet certain that these fuels will be acceptable for disposal in a mined geologic repository without further treatment, due to their potential pyrophoric character. A practical method for treatment of the Hanford metallic spent fuel, based on an electrorefining process, has been developed and has been demonstrated with unirradiated N-Reactor fuel and with simulated single-pass reactor (SPR) spent fuel. The process can be operated with any desired throughput rates; being a batch process, it is simply a matter of setting the size of the electrorefiner modules and the number of such modules. A single module, prototypic of a production-scale module, has been fabricated and testing is in progress at a throughput rate of 150 kg (heavy metal) per day. The envisioned production version would incorporate additional anode baskets and cathode tubes and provide a throughput rate of 333 kgHM/day. A system with four of these modules would permit treatment of Hanford metallic fuels at a rate of at least 250 metric tons per year

Nuclear science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This fact sheet answers specific questions about the Department of Energy's possible acquisition and conversion of a partially completed commercial nuclear power plant to a nuclear materials production facility. The nuclear power plant is the Washington Nuclear Plant number sign 1 owned by the Washington Public Power Supply System and is located on DOE's Hanford Reservation near Richland, Washington

Nuclear science

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-04-01

This report answers questions about the Department of Energy's possible acquisition and conversion of a partially completed commercial nuclear power plant to a nuclear materials production facility. The nuclear power plant is the Washington Nuclear Plant No.1 owned by the Washington Public Power Supply System and is located on DOE's Hanford Reservation near Richland, Washington

Environmental consequences to water resources from alternatives of managing spent nuclear fuel at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whelan, G.; McDonald, J.P.; Sato, C.

1994-11-01

With an environmental restoration and waste management program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is involved in developing policies pertinent to the transport, storage, and management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF). The DOE Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Programmatic SNF management is documented in a Volume 1 report, which contains an assessment of the Hanford installation, among others. Because the Hanford installation contains approximately 80% of the SNF associated with the DOE complex, it has been included in the decision for the ultimate disposition of the fuel. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory performed a series of assessments on five alternatives at Hanford for managing the SNF: No-Action, Decentralization, 1992/1993 Planning Basis, Regionalization, and Centralization. The environmental consequences associated with implementing these assessment alternatives potentially impact socioeconomic conditions; environmental quality of the air, groundwater, surface water, and surface soil; ecological, cultural, and geological resources; and land-use considerations. The purpose of this report is to support the Programmatic SNF-EIS by investigating the environmental impacts associated with water quality and related consequences, as they apply to the five assessment alternatives at the Hanford installation. The results of these scenarios are discussed and documented

PROGRESS WITH K BASINS SLUDGE RETRIEVAL STABILIZATION & PACKAGING AT THE HANFORD NUCLEAR SITE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KNOLLMEYER, P.M.; PHILLIPS, C; TOWNSON, P.S.

2006-01-30

This paper shows how Fluor Hanford and BNG America have combined nuclear plant skills from the U.S. and the U.K. to devise methods to retrieve and treat the sludge that has accumulated in K Basins at the Hanford Site over many years. Retrieving the sludge is the final stage in removing fuel and sludge from the basins to allow them to be decontaminated and decommissioned, so as to remove the threat of contamination of the Columbia River. A description is given of sludge retrieval using vacuum lances and specially developed nozzles and pumps into Consolidation Containers within the basins. The special attention that had to be paid to the heat generation and potential criticality issues with the irradiated uranium-containing sludge is described. The processes developed to re-mobilize the sludge from the Consolidation Containers and pump it through flexible and transportable hose-in-hose piping to the treatment facility are explained with particular note made of dealing with the abrasive nature of the sludge. The treatment facility, housed in an existing Hanford building, is described, and the uranium-corrosion and grout packaging processes explained. The uranium corrosion process is a robust, tempered process very suitable for dealing with a range of differing sludge compositions. Optimization and simplification of the original sludge corrosion process design is described and the use of transportable and reusable equipment is indicated. The processes and techniques described in the paper are shown to have wide applicability to nuclear cleanup.

A Short History of Waste Management at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gephart, Roy E.

2010-01-01

The world's first full-scale nuclear reactors and chemical reprocessing plants built at the Hanford Site in the desert of eastern Washington State produced two-thirds of the plutonium generated in the United States for nuclear weapons. Operating these facilities also created large volumes of radioactive and chemical waste, some of which was released into the environment exposing people who lived downwind and downstream. Hanford now contains the largest accumulation of nuclear waste in the Western Hemisphere. Hanford's last reactor shut down in 1987 followed by closure of the last reprocessing plant in 1990. Today, Hanford's only mission is cleanup. Most onsite radioactive waste and nuclear material lingers inside underground tanks or storage facilities. About half of the chemical waste remains in tanks while the rest persists in the soil, groundwater, and burial grounds. Six million dollars each day, or nearly two billion dollars each year, are spent on waste management and cleanup activities. There is significant uncertainty in how long cleanup will take, how much it will cost, and what risks will remain for future generations. This paper summarizes portions of the waste management history of the Hanford Site published in the book 'Hanford: A Conversation about Nuclear Waste and Cleanup.'

Electric power transmission for a Hanford Nuclear Energy Center (HNEC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harty, H.; Dowis, W.J.

1983-06-01

The original study of transmission for a Hanford Nuclear Energy Center (HNEC), which was completed in September 1975, was updated in June 1978. The present 1983 revision takes cognizance of recent changes in the electric power situation of the PNW with respect to: (1) forecasts of load growth, (2) the feasibility of early use of 1100 kV transmission, and (3) the narrowing opportunities for siting nuclear plants in the region. The purpose of this update is to explore and describe additions to the existing transmission system that would be necessary to accommodate three levels of generation at HNEC. Comparisons with a PNW system having new thermal generating capacity distributed throughout the marketing region are not made as was done in earlier versions

Hanford Tanks Initiative quality assurance implementation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huston, J.J.

1998-01-01

Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) Quality Assurance Implementation Plan for Nuclear Facilities defines the controls for the products and activities developed by HTI. Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) Quality Assurance Program Description (QAPD)(HNF-PRO599) is the document that defines the quality requirements for Nuclear Facilities. The QAPD provides direction for compliance to 10 CFR 830.120 Nuclear Safety Management, Quality Assurance Requirements. Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) is a five-year activity resulting from the technical and financial partnership of the US Department of Energy's Office of Waste Management (EM-30), and Office of Science and Technology Development (EM-50). HTI will develop and demonstrate technologies and processes for characterization and retrieval of single shell tank waste. Activities and products associated with HTI consist of engineering, construction, procurement, closure, retrieval, characterization, and safety and licensing

Hanford site waste tank characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Lorenzo, D.S.; Simpson, B.C.

1994-08-01

This paper describes the on-going work in the characterization of the Hanford-Site high-level waste tanks. The waste in these tanks was produced as part of the nuclear weapons materials processing mission that occupied the Hanford Site for the first 40 years of its existence. Detailed and defensible characterization of the tank wastes is required to guide retrieval, pretreatment, and disposal technology development, to address waste stability and reactivity concerns, and to satisfy the compliance criteria for the various regulatory agencies overseeing activities at the Hanford Site. The resulting Tank Characterization Reports fulfill these needs, as well as satisfy the tank waste characterization milestones in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order

SAFETY AT FLUOR HANFORD (A) CASE STUDY - PREPARED BY THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ARNOLD LD

2009-09-25

By November of 1997, Fluor Hanford (Fluor) had been the site manager of the Hanford nuclear reservation for a year. The Hanford site had been established as part of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s that gave birth to the atomic bomb. Hanford produced two thirds of U.S. plutonium during the Cold War period. The Hanford site was half the size of Rhode Island and occupied 586 square miles in southeastern Washington State. The production of plutonium for more than 40 years left a huge legacy of chemical and radiological contamination: 80 square miles of contaminated groundwater; 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored in underwater basins; 20 tons of plutonium-laced contaminated materials; and 500 contaminated facilities. The cleanup involved a challenging combination of radioactive material handling within an infrastructure constructed in the 1940s and 1950s. The cleanup that began in 1988 was expected to take 30 years or more. Improving safety at Hanford had already proven to be a significant challenge. As the new site manager at Hanford, Fluor Hanford inherited lower- and mid-level managers and thousands of unionized employees, many of whom were second or third generation Hanford employees. These employees had seen many contractors come and go over the years. Some of the managers who had worked with the previous contractor saw Fluor's emphasis on safety as getting in the way of operations. Union-management relations were fractious. Hanford's culture was described as 'production driven-management told everyone what to do, and, if you didn't do it, there were consequences'. Worker involvement in designing and implementing safety programs was negligible. Fluor Hanford also was having trouble satisfying its client, the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE did not see a clear path forward for performance improvements at Hanford. Clearly, major change was necessary, but how and where should it be implemented?

SAFETY AT FLUOR HANFORD (A) CASE STUDY - PREPARED BY THUNDERBIRD SCHOOL OF GLOBAL MANAGEMENT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, L.D.

2009-01-01

By November of 1997, Fluor Hanford (Fluor) had been the site manager of the Hanford nuclear reservation for a year. The Hanford site had been established as part of the Manhattan Project in the 1940s that gave birth to the atomic bomb. Hanford produced two thirds of U.S. plutonium during the Cold War period. The Hanford site was half the size of Rhode Island and occupied 586 square miles in southeastern Washington State. The production of plutonium for more than 40 years left a huge legacy of chemical and radiological contamination: 80 square miles of contaminated groundwater; 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel stored in underwater basins; 20 tons of plutonium-laced contaminated materials; and 500 contaminated facilities. The cleanup involved a challenging combination of radioactive material handling within an infrastructure constructed in the 1940s and 1950s. The cleanup that began in 1988 was expected to take 30 years or more. Improving safety at Hanford had already proven to be a significant challenge. As the new site manager at Hanford, Fluor Hanford inherited lower- and mid-level managers and thousands of unionized employees, many of whom were second or third generation Hanford employees. These employees had seen many contractors come and go over the years. Some of the managers who had worked with the previous contractor saw Fluor's emphasis on safety as getting in the way of operations. Union-management relations were fractious. Hanford's culture was described as 'production driven-management told everyone what to do, and, if you didn't do it, there were consequences'. Worker involvement in designing and implementing safety programs was negligible. Fluor Hanford also was having trouble satisfying its client, the Department of Energy (DOE). The DOE did not see a clear path forward for performance improvements at Hanford. Clearly, major change was necessary, but how and where should it be implemented?

Hanford Nuclear Energy Center: a conceptual study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harty, H. (comp.)

1978-09-30

The objective of the study is to develop an improved understanding of the nuclear energy center (NEC) concept and to identify research and development needed to evaluate the concept fully. A specific context was selected for the study--the Hanford site. Thus, the study primarily addresses the HNEC concept, but the findings are extrapolated to generic NECs where possible. The major emphasis in the HNEC study was to explore potential technical and environmental problems in a specific context and in sufficient detail to evaluate potential problems and propose practical solutions. The areas of concern are typical of those considered in preparing environmental and safety analysis reports, including: topics dealing with engineering choices (e.g., site selection, heat sink management, electrical transmission, and reliability of generation); environmental matters (e.g., terrestrial and radiological effects); socioeconomic factors (e.g., community impacts); and licensing considerations.

Modeling long-term risk to environmental and human systems at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Scope and findings from the initial model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, Michael J.; Brandt, Charles A.; Bunn, Amoret L.; Engel, David W.; Eslinger, Paul W.; Miley, Terri B.; Napier, Bruce A.; Prendergast-Kennedy, Ellen L.; Nieves, Leslie A.

2005-01-01

The Groundwater/Vadose Zone (GW/VZ) Integration Project at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington state is currently developing the tools and supporting data to assess the cumulative impact to human and ecological health and the region's economy and cultures from waste that will remain at the Hanford Site after the site closes. This integrated system of new and legacy models and data is known as the System Assessment Capability (SAC). The environmental transport modules of the SAC modeling system provide estimates of contaminant concentrations from Hanford Site sources in a time-dependent manner in the vadose zone, groundwater, and the Columbia River and its associated sediments. The Risk/Impact Module uses these estimates of media- and time-specific concentrations to estimate potential impacts on the ecology of the Columbia River corridor, the health of persons who might live in or use the corridor or the upland Hanford environment, the local economy, and the cultural resources. Preliminary Monte Carlo realizations from the SAC modeling system demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale uncertainty analysis of the complex relationships in environmental transport on the one hand and ecological, human, cultural, and economic risk on the other. Initial impact results show successful linking of codes and very small long-term risks for the 10 radionuclides and chemicals evaluated

Groundwater and vadose Zone Integration Project Nuclear Material Mass Flow and Accountability on the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GRASHER, A.A.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide a discussion of the accountable inventory of Hanford Site nuclear material (NM) over the operating period. This report does not provide judgments on impacts to the Hanford Site environs by the reported waste streams or inventory. The focus of this report is on the processes, facilities, and process streams that constituted the flow primarily of plutonium and uranium through the Hanford Site. The material balance reports (MBRS) are the basis of the NM accountable inventory maintained by each of the various contractors used by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors to operate the Hanford Site. The inventory was tracked in terms of a starting inventory, receipts, transfers, and ending inventory. The various components of the inventory are discussed as well as the uncertainty in the measurement values used to establish plant inventory and material transfers. The accountable NM inventory does not report all the NM on the Hanford Site and this difference is discussed relative to some representative nuclides. The composition and location of the current accountable inventory are provided, as well as the latest approved set (2000) of flow diagrams of the proposed disposition of the excess accountable NM inventory listed on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) web page

Graphics-based site information management at Hanford TRU burial grounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rod, S.R.

1992-04-01

The objective of the project described in this paper is to demonstrate the use of integrated computer graphics and database techniques in managing nuclear waste facilities. The graphics-based site information management system (SIMS) combines a three- dimensional graphic model of the facility with databases which describe the facility's components and waste inventory. The SIMS can create graphic visualization of any site data. The SIMS described here is being used by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) as part of its transuranic (TRU) waste retrieval program at the Hanford Reservation. It is being used to manage an inventory of over 38,000 containers, to validate records, and to help visualize conceptual designs of waste retrieval operations

Graphics-based site information management at Hanford TRU burial grounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rod, S.R.

1992-01-01

The objective of the project described in this paper is to demonstrate the use of integrated computer graphics and data base techniques in managing nuclear waste facilities. The graphics-based site information management system (SIMS) combines a three-dimensional graphic model of the facility with databases which describe the facility's components and waste inventory. The SIMS can create graphic visualizations of any site data. The SIMS described here is being used by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) as part of its transuranic (TRU) waste retrieval program at the Hanford Reservation. It is being used to manage an inventory of over 38,000 containers, to validate records, and to help visualize conceptual designs of waste retrieval operations

FLUOR HANFORD SAFETY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GARVIN, L. J.; JENSEN, M. A.

2004-04-13

This document summarizes safety management programs used within the scope of the ''Project Hanford Management Contract''. The document has been developed to meet the format and content requirements of DOE-STD-3009-94, ''Preparation Guide for US. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses''. This document provides summary descriptions of Fluor Hanford safety management programs, which Fluor Hanford nuclear facilities may reference and incorporate into their safety basis when producing facility- or activity-specific documented safety analyses (DSA). Facility- or activity-specific DSAs will identify any variances to the safety management programs described in this document and any specific attributes of these safety management programs that are important for controlling potentially hazardous conditions. In addition, facility- or activity-specific DSAs may identify unique additions to the safety management programs that are needed to control potentially hazardous conditions.

Impact of a Hanford Nuclear Energy Center on ground level fog and humidity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.

1977-03-01

This document presents the details of a study of the atmospheric impacts of an Hanford Nuclear Energy Center (HNEC) that might result from the use of evaporative cooling alternatives. Specific cooling systems considered include once-through river cooling, cooling ponds, cooling towers, helper cooling ponds and towers and hybrid wet/dry cooling towers. The specific impacts evaluated are increases in fog and relative humidity

Comparative ecology of nuclear waste ponds and streams on the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, R.M.; McShane, M.C.

1978-10-01

Limnological and radiological parameters were investigated in ponds and streams on the Hanford Site to develop comprehensive radioecological profiles. While Hanford ponds and streams can be grouped into three categories of nuclide content, only one system (100-N trench) has dose rates exceeding 1 R/week. However, maximum α concentrations in Z-19 ditch water and maximum β-γ concentrations in 100-N trench water both exceeded 10 4 pCi/l. These aquatic environments support populations of commonly occurring algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, and in some cases, fish. Although the variety in algal populations is reduced in 100-N trench and Z-19 ditch, variety in other types of biota are not apparently associated with amounts of radioactivity. The productivity rates of plant life, invertebrates and fish in these systems resemble those in aquatic environments not associated with nuclear activities. Only 100-N trench contains enough radioactivity to be potentially harmful to some aquatic organisms and terrestrial communities. 7 figures, 7 tables

Comparative ecology of nuclear waste ponds and streams on the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emery, R.M.; McShane, M.C.

1978-10-01

Limnological and radiological parameters were investigated in ponds and streams on the Hanford Site to develop comprehensive radioecological profiles. While Hanford ponds and streams can be grouped into three categories of nuclide content, only one system (100-N trench) has dose rates exceeding 1 R/week. However, maximum ..cap alpha.. concentrations in Z-19 ditch water and maximum ..beta..-..gamma.. concentrations in 100-N trench water both exceeded 10/sup 4/ pCi/l. These aquatic environments support populations of commonly occurring algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, and in some cases, fish. Although the variety in algal populations is reduced in 100-N trench and Z-19 ditch, variety in other types of biota are not apparently associated with amounts of radioactivity. The productivity rates of plant life, invertebrates and fish in these systems resemble those in aquatic environments not associated with nuclear activities. Only 100-N trench contains enough radioactivity to be potentially harmful to some aquatic organisms and terrestrial communities. 7 figures, 7 tables.

Real-time monitoring of Hanford nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNeece, S.G.; Glasscock, J.A.; Rosnick, C.K.

1979-10-01

Two minicomputers are used to perform real time monitoring of radioactive waste storage tanks on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The Computer Automated Surveillance System, CASS, consists of a network of six field microprocessors, a central microprocessor and two central Eclipse minicomputers. The field microprocessors are each responsible for monitoring alarm sensors, liquid levels and temperatures. The field microprocessors report alarm conditions immediately to the central microprocessor. The central minicomputer reports all alarm conditions to the user terminals, requests data from the field on a scheduled and requested basis, and generates reports. It handles all requests for information from the user and stores all incoming data for historical purposes. The CASS software consists of five major segments: (1) process creation, (2) report generation, (3) file updating, (4) terminal communication, and (5) microprocessor communication. Since CASS must operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the system cannot be allowed to abnormally terminate. For this reason all processes are started by the creation process. Having a single process responsible for creating all other processes provides the ability to detect a failure of a subordinate process and to automatically restart the failed process. The report generation process schedules reports, requests the data to be gathered to produce the reports, forms the reports, and distributes the reports to the user terminals. The file updating process handles all data file modifications. There is a terminal communication process for each user terminal which is responsible for printing scheduled reports and for allowing the user to request information from the CASS system. The microprocessor communication process handles all communication with the central microprocessor

Draft interim close-out report Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve remedial action, Hanford, Washington. Draft A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-10-01

The Fitzner-Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology (ALE) Reserve consists of 120 square miles of shrub-steppe land on the western edge of the Hanford Site. It is located south of Highway 240 and east of the point where the Yakima River borders the site. The land was set aside as a natural research area in 1967 by the Atomic Energy Commission. With the recent change in mission at Hanford from plutonium production to environmental cleanup, much attention has been given to releasing clean tracts of land for other uses. The ALE Reserve is one such tract of land. Consistent with the Record of Decision (ROD) and Preliminary Assessment Screening (PAS), sites identified as having the potential for contamination on the ALE Reserve have been investigated, characterized, and remediated where necessary to comply with MTCA cleanup levels. Hazardous substances released to the environment have either been removed from the site or, in one case when removal was not practical, capped in place. Removal of all of the contaminated soil is supported by the confirmatory sampling results. The existing areas of contamination in the ALE Reserve were considered to be small. In March of 1993, Department of Energy (DOE), the Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology signed an Agreement in Principle in which they agreed to expedite cleanup of the ALE Reserve. Cleanup activities and a draft closeout report were to be completed by October 1994. Additionally, DOE proposed to mitigate hazards which may pose a physical threat to wildlife or humans

Safe interim storage of Hanford tank wastes, draft environmental impact statement, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-07-01

This Draft EIS is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). DOE and Ecology have identified the need to resolve near-term tank safety issues associated with Watchlist tanks as identified pursuant to Public Law (P.L.) 101-510, Section 3137, ``Safety Measures for Waste Tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation,`` of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991, while continuing to provide safe storage for other Hanford wastes. This would be an interim action pending other actions that could be taken to convert waste to a more stable form based on decisions resulting from the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) EIS. The purpose for this action is to resolve safety issues concerning the generation of unacceptable levels of hydrogen in two Watchlist tanks, 101-SY and 103-SY. Retrieving waste in dilute form from Tanks 101-SY and 103-SY, hydrogen-generating Watchlist double shell tanks (DSTs) in the 200 West Area, and storage in new tanks is the preferred alternative for resolution of the hydrogen safety issues.

Safe interim storage of Hanford tank wastes, draft environmental impact statement, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-07-01

This Draft EIS is prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). DOE and Ecology have identified the need to resolve near-term tank safety issues associated with Watchlist tanks as identified pursuant to Public Law (P.L.) 101-510, Section 3137, ''Safety Measures for Waste Tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation,'' of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1991, while continuing to provide safe storage for other Hanford wastes. This would be an interim action pending other actions that could be taken to convert waste to a more stable form based on decisions resulting from the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) EIS. The purpose for this action is to resolve safety issues concerning the generation of unacceptable levels of hydrogen in two Watchlist tanks, 101-SY and 103-SY. Retrieving waste in dilute form from Tanks 101-SY and 103-SY, hydrogen-generating Watchlist double shell tanks (DSTs) in the 200 West Area, and storage in new tanks is the preferred alternative for resolution of the hydrogen safety issues

Environmental report of Purex Plant and Uranium Oxide Plant - Hanford reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-04-01

A description of the site, program, and facilities is given. The data and calculations indicate that there will be no significant adverse environmental impact from the resumption of full-scale operations of the Purex and Uranium Oxide Plants. All significant pathways of radionuclides in Purex Plant effluents are evaluated. This includes submersion in the airborne effluent plumes, consumption of drinking water and foodstuffs irrigated with Columbia River water, ingestion of radioactive iodine through the cow-to-milk pathway, consumption of fish, and other less significant pathways. A summary of research and surveillance programs designed to assess the possible changes in the terresstrial and aquatic environments on or near the Hanford Reservation is presented. The nonradiological discharges to the environment of prinicpal interest are chemicals, sewage, and solid waste. These discharges will not lead to any significant adverse effects on the environment

Soils of the Pacific Northwest shrub-steppe. Occurrence and properties of soils on the Arid Land Ecology Reserve, Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wildung, R.E.

1977-07-01

The soils of the Arid Land Ecology Reserve, encompassing the IBP Grassland Biome intensive study site on the ERDA Hanford Reservation, are representative of a larger geographical region including much of the Columbia Plateau and Pacific Northwest shrub-steppe. This results from a unique diversity in parent materials of mixed origin derived from the loess eolian, lacustrine and stream-laid material including glacial outwashes, river terraces, flood plains and alluvial fans and meteorological factors accompanying a marked change in altitude within the Reserve resulting in development of soils over a range in temperature, moisture and vegetative regimes. The Reserve and the IBP Grassland Biome intensive study site serve as valuable, representative areas for the study of soil genesis and morphology in the shrub-steppe. The role of soils can be determined in basic environmental processes involving the flow of energy, cyclization of nutrients or the fate and behavior of pollutants. These processes may be examined to provide baseline information for comparison to other, more disturbed areas. Or, for investigative purposes, processes may be systematically altered to determine the influence of soil-perturbing activities such as agriculture, mining and industry on the terrestrial ecosystem

MANHATTAN PROJECT B REACTOR HANFORD WASHINGTON [HANFORD'S HISTORIC B REACTOR (12-PAGE BOOKLET)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER MS

2009-04-28

The Hanford Site began as part of the United States Manhattan Project to research, test and build atomic weapons during World War II. The original 670-square mile Hanford Site, then known as the Hanford Engineer Works, was the last of three top-secret sites constructed in order to produce enriched uranium and plutonium for the world's first nuclear weapons. B Reactor, located about 45 miles northwest of Richland, Washington, is the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor. Not only was B Reactor a first-of-a-kind engineering structure, it was built and fully functional in just 11 months. Eventually, the shoreline of the Columbia River in southeastern Washington State held nine nuclear reactors at the height of Hanford's nuclear defense production during the Cold War era. The B Reactor was shut down in 1968. During the 1980's, the U.S. Department of Energy began removing B Reactor's support facilities. The reactor building, the river pumphouse and the reactor stack are the only facilities that remain. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office offers escorted public access to B Reactor along a designated tour route. The National Park Service (NPS) is studying preservation and interpretation options for sites associated with the Manhattan Project. A draft is expected in summer 2009. A final report will recommend whether the B Reactor, along with other Manhattan Project facilities, should be preserved, and if so, what roles the DOE, the NPS and community partners will play in preservation and public education. In August 2008, the DOE announced plans to open B Reactor for additional public tours. Potential hazards still exist within the building. However, the approved tour route is safe for visitors and workers. DOE may open additional areas once it can assure public safety by mitigating hazards.

Environmental assessment overview, Reference repository location, Hanford site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The site is in the Columbia Plateau, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. To determine their suitability, the Hanford site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Hanford site is not disqualified under the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the Hanford site as one of five sites suitable for characterization. 3 figs

Ecological aspects of decommissioning and decontamination of facilities on the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rickard, W.H.; Klepper, E.L.

1976-06-01

The Hanford environment and biota are described in relation to decommissioning of obsolescent facilities contaminated with low-levels of radioactive materials. The aridity at Hanford limits both the productivity and diversity of biota. Both productivity and diversity are increased when water is added, as for example on the margins of ponds. Certain plants, especially Salsola kali (Russian thistle or tumbleweed), are avid accumulators of minerals and will accumulate radioactive materials if their roots come into contact with contaminated soils. Data on concentration ratios (pCi per gDW of plant/pCi per gDW soil) are given for several native plants for long-lived radionuclides. Plants are generally more resistant than animals to ionizing radiation so that impacts of high-level radiation sources would be expected to occur primarily in the animals. Mammals and birds are discussed along with information on where they are to be found on the Reservation and what role they may play in the long-term management of radioactive wastes. Food habits of animals are discussed and plants which are palatable to common herbivores are listed. Food chains leading to man are shown to be very limited, including a soil-plant-mule deer-man path for terrestrial sites and a pond-waterfowl-man pathway for pond sites. Retention basins are discussed as an example of how an ecologically sound decommissioningprogram might be planned. Finally, burial of large volumes of low-level wastes can probably be done if barriers to biological invasion are provided

Ecological aspects of decommissioning and decontamination of facilities on the Hanford Reservation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rickard, W.H.; Klepper, E.L.

1976-06-01

The Hanford environment and biota are described in relation to decommissioning of obsolescent facilities contaminated with low-levels of radioactive materials. The aridity at Hanford limits both the productivity and diversity of biota. Both productivity and diversity are increased when water is added, as for example on the margins of ponds. Certain plants, especially Salsola kali (Russian thistle or tumbleweed), are avid accumulators of minerals and will accumulate radioactive materials if their roots come into contact with contaminated soils. Data on concentration ratios (pCi per gDW of plant/pCi per gDW soil) are given for several native plants for long-lived radionuclides. Plants are generally more resistant than animals to ionizing radiation so that impacts of high-level radiation sources would be expected to occur primarily in the animals. Mammals and birds are discussed along with information on where they are to be found on the Reservation and what role they may play in the long-term management of radioactive wastes. Food habits of animals are discussed and plants which are palatable to common herbivores are listed. Food chains leading to man are shown to be very limited, including a soil-plant-mule deer-man path for terrestrial sites and a pond-waterfowl-man pathway for pond sites. Retention basins are discussed as an example of how an ecologically sound decommissioningprogram might be planned. Finally, burial of large volumes of low-level wastes can probably be done if barriers to biological invasion are provided.

Nuclear graphite development, operational problems, and resolution of these problems at the Hanford production reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, W.C.

1996-01-01

This paper chronicles the history of the Hanford Production Reactor, from the initial design considerations for B, D, and F Reactors through the selection of the agreed method for safe disposal of the decommissioned reactors. The operational problems that challenged the operations and support staff of each new generation of production reactors, the engineering actions an operational changes that alleviated or resolved the immediate problems, the changes in reactor design and design-bases for the next generation of production reactors, and the changes in manufacturing variables that resulted in new ''improved'' grades of nuclear graphites for use in the moderators of the Hanford Production Reactors are reviewed in the context of the existing knowledge-base and the mission-driven priorities on the time. 14 refs, 6 figs, 3 tabs

Site characterization plan overview: reference repository location, Hanford Site, Washington: Consultation draft: Nuclear Waste Policy Act (Section 113)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

As part of the process for siting the nation's first geologic repository for radioactive waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing a site characterization plan for the Hanford site in Benton County, Washington. As a step in the preparation of that plan, the DOE has provided, for information and review, a consultation draft of the plan to the State of Washington, the affected Indian Tribes - the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Nez Perce Indian Tribe, and the Yakima Indian Nation - and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Hanford site is one of three sites that the DOE currently plans to characterize;the other sites are the Deaf Smith County site in Texas and the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada. After site characterization has been completed and its results evaluated, the DOE will identify from among the three characterized sites the site that is preferred for the repository. The overview presented here consists of brief summaries of important topics covered in the consulation draft of the site characterization plan;it is not a substitute for the site characterization plan. The arrangement of the overview is similar to that of the plan itself, with breif descriptions of the dispoal system - the site, the repository, and the waste package - preceding the discussion of the characterization program to be carried out at the Hanford site. It is intended primarily for the management staff of organizations involved in the DOE's repository program or other persons who might wish to understand the general scope of the site-characterization program, the activities to be conducted, and the facilities to be constructed rather than the technical details of site characterization

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMakin, A.H.; Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1992-07-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The TSP consists of experts in environmental pathways, epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering, radiation dosimetry, and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed technical members representing the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): Source terms, environmental transport, environmental monitoring data, demography, food consumption, and agriculture, and environmental pathways and dose estimates. Progress is discussed

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1992-10-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates):Source Terms, Environmental Transport, Environmental Monitoring Data, Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture, and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates

POTENTIAL FOR HYDROGEN BUILDUP IN HANFORD SEALED AIR FILLED NUCLEAR STORAGE VESSELS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HEY BE

2008-01-01

This calculation is performed in accordance with HNF-PRO-8259, PHMC Calculation Preparation and Issue and addresses the question as to whether a flammable mixture of hydrogen gas can accumulate in a Hanford sealed nuclear storage vessel where the only source of hydrogen is the moisture in the air that initially filled the vessel Of specific concern is nuclear fuel inside IDENT 69-Gs, placed in Core Component Containers (CCCs) located inside Interim Storage Vaults (ISVs) at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) The CCCs are to be removed from the ISVs and placed inside a Hanford Unirradiated Fuel Package (HUFP) for transport and interim storage. The repackaging procedures mandated that no plastics were permitted, all labels and tape were to be removed and the pins to be clean and inspected Loading of the fuel into the CCC/ISV package was permitted only if it was not raining or snowing. This was to preclude the introduction of any water The purpose was to minimize the presence of any hydrogenous material inside the storage vessels. The scope of NFPA 69, 'Standard on Explosion Prevention Systems', precludes its applicability for this case. The reactor fuel pins are helium bonded. The non-fuel pins, such as the pellet stacks, are also helium bonded. The fuel pellets were sintered at temperatures that preclude any residual hydrogenous material. Hydrogen gas can be formed from neutron and gamma radiolysis of water vapor. The radiolysis reaction is quite complex involving several intermediate radicals, and competing recombination reactions. Hydrogen gas can also be formed through corrosion. This analysis takes a simplistic approach and assumes that all water vapor present in the storage vessel is decomposed into hydrogen gas. Although the analysis is needed to specifically address HUFP storage of nuclear fuel, it is equally applicable to any sealed fuel storage vessel under the assumptions listed

HANFORD GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CHARBONEAU, B; THOMPSON, M; WILDE, R.; FORD, B.; GERBER, M.S.

2006-02-01

By 1990 nearly 50 years of producing plutonium put approximately 1.70E + 12 liters (450 billion gallons) of liquid wastes into the soil of the 1,518-square kilometer (586-square mile) Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. The liquid releases consisted of chemicals used in laboratory experiments, manufacturing and rinsing uranium fuel, dissolving that fuel after irradiation in Hanford's nuclear reactors, and in liquefying plutonium scraps needed to feed other plutonium-processing operations. Chemicals were also added to the water used to cool Hanford's reactors to prevent corrosion in the reactor tubes. In addition, water and acid rinses were used to clean plutonium deposits from piping in Hanford's large radiochemical facilities. All of these chemicals became contaminated with radionuclides. As Hanford raced to help win World War II, and then raced to produce materials for the Cold War, these radioactive liquid wastes were released to the Site's sandy soils. Early scientific experiments seemed to show that the most highly radioactive components of these liquids would bind to the soil just below the surface of the land, thus posing no threat to groundwater. Other experiments predicted that the water containing most radionuclides would take hundreds of years to seep into groundwater, decaying (or losing) most of its radioactivity before reaching the groundwater or subsequently flowing into the Columbia River, although it was known that some contaminants like tritium would move quickly. Evidence today, however, shows that many contaminants have reached the Site's groundwater and the Columbia River, with more on its way. Over 259 square kilometers (100 square miles) of groundwater at Hanford have contaminant levels above drinking-water standards. Also key to successfully cleaning up the Site is providing information resources and public-involvement opportunities to Hanford's stakeholders. This large, passionate, diverse, and

Hanford work faces change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This article is a discussion of DOE efforts in the awarding of a large engineering-construction contract at the Hanford Reservation. Though the announced winner was a group lead by J. A. Jones Construction/Duke Engineering Services, the incumbent (ICF-Kaiser Engineers) protested the announced award. The protest was dismissed by the GAO, but DOE officials still reopened the bidding. There was also a short note regarding the award of the ERMC at Hanford

ChemWaste appeals Hanford permit stance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

Chemical Waste Management, Inc. is appealing the Washington State Department of Ecology's decision to suspend its review of the company's proposal to build a hazardous waste incinerator and two mixed waste incinerators at the Hanford Nuclear Site near Richland, Washington. The company wants to build the incinerators on a 200 acre parcel in the DOE reservation that is leased to the State. The State contends the two mixed waste incinerators meet siting criteria, but the hazardous waste unit does not. A compromise may be reached between DOE and Washington state involving the transfer of title to the leased land from DOE to the State

Technical basis for selecting radionuclide concentrations for use in Hanford tank basis for interim operation source term

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cowley, W.L.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the development of a radiological source term for waste tanks at the Hanford Site Nuclear Reservation. It describes the methodology used to identify the most important radionuclides, determine appropriate concentrations, and define unit liter doses. An example of how unit liter doses are used is given

Automated Leak Detection Of Buried Tanks Using Geophysical Methods At The Hanford Nuclear Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calendine, S.; Schofield, J.S.; Levitt, M.T.; Fink, J.B.; Rucker, D.F.

2011-01-01

At the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington State, the Department of Energy oversees the containment, treatment, and retrieval of liquid high-level radioactive waste. Much of the waste is stored in single-shelled tanks (SSTs) built between 1943 and 1964. Currently, the waste is being retrieved from the SSTs and transferred into newer double-shelled tanks (DSTs) for temporary storage before final treatment. Monitoring the tanks during the retrieval process is critical to identifying leaks. An electrically-based geophysics monitoring program for leak detection and monitoring (LDM) has been successfully deployed on several SSTs at the Hanford site since 2004. The monitoring program takes advantage of changes in contact resistance that will occur when conductive tank liquid leaks into the soil. During monitoring, electrical current is transmitted on a number of different electrode types (e.g., steel cased wells and surface electrodes) while voltages are measured on all other electrodes, including the tanks. Data acquisition hardware and software allow for continuous real-time monitoring of the received voltages and the leak assessment is conducted through a time-series data analysis. The specific hardware and software combination creates a highly sensitive method of leak detection, complementing existing drywell logging as a means to detect and quantify leaks. Working in an industrial environment such as the Hanford site presents many challenges for electrical monitoring: cathodic protection, grounded electrical infrastructure, lightning strikes, diurnal and seasonal temperature trends, and precipitation, all of which create a complex environment for leak detection. In this discussion we present examples of challenges and solutions to working in the tank farms of the Hanford site.

Demonstration of retrieval methods for Westinghouse Hanford Corporation October 20, 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-10-01

Westinghouse Hanford Corporation has been pursuing strategies to break up and retrieve the radioactive waste material in single shell storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, by working with non-radioactive ''saltcake'' and sludge material that simulate the actual waste. It has been suggested that the use of higher volumes of water than used in the past (10 gpm nozzles at 10,000 psi) might be successful in breaking down the hard waste simulants. Additionally, the application of these higher volumes of water might successfully be applied through commercially available tooling using methods similar to those used in the deslagging of large utility boilers. NMW Industrial Services, Inc., has proposed a trial consisting of three approaches each to dislodging both the solid (saltcake) simulant and the sludge simulant

Demonstration of retrieval methods for Westinghouse Hanford Corporation October 20, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-10-01

Westinghouse Hanford Corporation has been pursuing strategies to break up and retrieve the radioactive waste material in single shell storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, by working with non-radioactive ``saltcake`` and sludge material that simulate the actual waste. It has been suggested that the use of higher volumes of water than used in the past (10 gpm nozzles at 10,000 psi) might be successful in breaking down the hard waste simulants. Additionally, the application of these higher volumes of water might successfully be applied through commercially available tooling using methods similar to those used in the deslagging of large utility boilers. NMW Industrial Services, Inc., has proposed a trial consisting of three approaches each to dislodging both the solid (saltcake) simulant and the sludge simulant.

TRACKING CLEAN UP AT HANFORD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CONNELL, C.W.

2005-01-01

The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, known as the ''Tri-Party Agreement'' (TPA), is a legally binding agreement among the US Department of Energy (DOE), The Washington State Department of Ecology, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cleaning up the Hanford Site. Established in the 1940s to produce material for nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford is often referred to as the world's large environmental cleanup project. The Site covers more than 580 square miles in a relatively remote region of southeastern Washington state in the US. The production of nuclear materials at Hanford has left a legacy of tremendous proportions in terms of hazardous and radioactive waste. From a waste-management point of view, the task is enormous: 1700 waste sites; 450 billion gallons of liquid waste; 70 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater; 53 million gallons of tank waste; 9 reactors; 5 million cubic yards of contaminated soil; 22 thousand drums of mixed waste; 2.3 tons of spent nuclear fuel; and 17.8 metric tons of plutonium-bearing material and this is just a partial listing. The agreement requires that DOE provide the results of analytical laboratory and non-laboratory tests/readings to the lead regulatory agency to help guide then in making decisions. The agreement also calls for each signatory to preserve--for at least ten years after the Agreement has ended--all of the records in it, or its contractors, possession related to sampling, analysis, investigations, and monitoring conducted. The Action Plan that supports the TPA requires that Ecology and EPA have access to all data that is relevant to work performed, or to be performed, under the Agreement. Further, the Action Plan specifies two additional requirements: (1) that EPA, Ecology and their respective contractor staffs have access to all the information electronically, and (2) that the databases are accessible to, and used by, all personnel doing TPA

Seismic qualification of safety class components in non-reactor nuclear facilities at Hanford site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ocoma, E.C.

1989-01-01

This paper presents the methods used during the walkdowns to compile as-built structural information to seismically qualify or verify the seismic adequacy of safety class components in the Plutonium Finishing Plant complex. The Plutonium finishing Plant is a non-reactor nuclear facility built during the 1950's and was designed to the Uniform Building Code criteria for both seismic and wind events. This facility is located at the US Department of Energy Hanford Site near Richland, Washington

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

1991-04-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from released to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demographics, agriculture, food habits; and, environmental pathways and dose estimates

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project monthly report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.

1991-10-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doeses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): Source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demographics, agriculture, food habits; environmental pathways and dose estimates

Radioactive waste shipments to Hanford retrievable storage from Westinghouse Advanced Reactors and Nuclear Fuels Divisions, Cheswick, Pennsylvania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, D.; Pottmeyer, J.A.; Weyns, M.I.; Dicenso, K.D.; DeLorenzo, D.S.

1994-04-01

During the next two decades the transuranic (TRU) waste now stored in the burial trenches and storage facilities at the Hanford Sits in southeastern Washington State is to be retrieved, processed at the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility, and shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal. Approximately 5.7 percent of the TRU waste to be retrieved for shipment to WIPP was generated by the decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) of the Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division (WARD) and the Westinghouse Nuclear Fuels Division (WNFD) in Cheswick, Pennsylvania and shipped to the Hanford Sits for storage. This report characterizes these radioactive solid wastes using process knowledge, existing records, and oral history interviews

Hanford process review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-12-01

This report is a summary of past incidents at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. The purpose of the report is to provide the major, significant, nuclear-safety-related incidents which incurred at the Hanford Site in a single document for ease of historical research. It should be noted that the last major accident occurred in 1980. This document is a summary of reports released and available to the public in the DOE Headquarters and Richland public reading rooms. This document provides no new information that has not previously been reported. This report is not intended to cover all instances of radioactivity release or contamination, which are already the subject of other major reviews, several of which are referenced in Section 1.3

Documentation of Hanford Site independent review of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Preliminary Safety Analysis Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herborn, D.I.

1993-11-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) is the Integrating Contractor for the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) Project, and as such is responsible for preparation of the HWVP Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR). The HWVP PSAR was prepared pursuant to the requirements for safety analyses contained in US Department of Energy (DOE) Orders 4700.1, Project Management System (DOE 1987); 5480.5, Safety of Nuclear Facilities (DOE 1986a); 5481.lB, Safety Analysis and Review System (DOE 1986b) which was superseded by DOE order 5480-23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports, for nuclear facilities effective April 30, 1992 (DOE 1992); and 6430.lA, General Design Criteria (DOE 1989). The WHC procedures that, in large part, implement these DOE requirements are contained in WHC-CM-4-46, Nonreactor Facility Safety Analysis Manual. This manual describes the overall WHC safety analysis process in terms of requirements for safety analyses, responsibilities of the various contributing organizations, and required reviews and approvals

Spent Nuclear Fuel Project FY 1996 Multi-Year Program Plan WBS No. 1.4.1, Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-09-01

This document describes the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project portion of the Hanford Strategic Plan for the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington. The SNF Project was established to evaluate and integrate the urgent risks associated with N-reactor fuel currently stored at the Hanford site in the K Basins, and to manage the transfer and disposition of other spent nuclear fuels currently stored on the Hanford site. An evaluation of alternatives for the expedited removal of spent fuels from the K Basin area was performed. Based on this study, a Recommended Path Forward for the K Basins was developed and proposed to the U.S. DOE

Spent Nuclear Fuel Project FY 1996 Multi-Year Program Plan WBS No. 1.4.1, Revision 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-09-01

This document describes the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project portion of the Hanford Strategic Plan for the Hanford Reservation in Richland, Washington. The SNF Project was established to evaluate and integrate the urgent risks associated with N-reactor fuel currently stored at the Hanford site in the K Basins, and to manage the transfer and disposition of other spent nuclear fuels currently stored on the Hanford site. An evaluation of alternatives for the expedited removal of spent fuels from the K Basin area was performed. Based on this study, a Recommended Path Forward for the K Basins was developed and proposed to the U.S. DOE.

Characterization of Hanford K basin spent nuclear fuel and sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawrence, L.A.

1996-01-01

A characterization plan was prepared to support the Integrated Process Strategy (IPS) for resolution of the safety and environmental concerns associated with the deteriorating Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) stored in the Hanford Site K Basins. This plan provides the structure and logic and identifies the information needs to be supported by the characterization activities. The IPS involves removal of the fuel elements from the storage canister and placing them in a container, i.e., Multiple Canister Overpack (MCO) capable of holding multiple tiers of baskets full of fuel. The MCOs will be vacuum dried to remove free water and shipped to the Container Storage Building (CSB) where they will be staged waiting for hot vacuum conditioning. The MCO will be placed in interim storage in the CSB following conditioning and disposition

Characterization Program Management Plan for Hanford K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) (OCRWM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAKER, R.B.; TRIMBLE, D.J.

2000-01-01

The management plan developed to characterize the K Basin spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and sludge was originally developed for Westinghouse Hanford Company and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to work together on a program to provide characterization data to support removal, conditioning, and subsequent dry storage of the SNF stored at the Hanford K Basins. The plan also addressed necessary characterization for the removal, transport, and storage of the sludge from the Hanford K Basins. This plan was revised in 1999 (i.e., Revision 2) to incorporate actions necessary to respond to the deficiencies revealed as the result of Quality Assurance surveillances and audits in 1999 with respect to the fuel characterization activities. Revision 3 to this Program Management Plan responds to a Worker Assessment resolution determined in Fical Year 2000. This revision includes an update to current organizational structures and other revisions needed to keep this management plan consistent with the current project scope. The plan continues to address both the SNF and the sludge accumulated at K Basins. Most activities for the characterization of the SNF have been completed. Data validation, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) document reviews, and OCRWM data qualification are the remaining SNF characterization activities. The transport and storage of K Basin sludge are affected by recent path forward revisions. These revisions require additional laboratory analyses of the sludge to complete the acquisition of required supporting engineering data. Hence, this revision of the management plan provides the overall work control for these remaining SNF and sludge characterization activities given the current organizational structure of the SNF Project

A multispectral scanner survey of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brewster, S.B. Jr.; Howard, M.E.; Shines, J.E.

1994-09-01

An airborne multispectral scanner survey of selected sites on the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and the Hanford Reservation was performed in mid-November 1993. Aerial multispectral scanner and photography data were acquired coincidentally with the Big O experiment at both locations. To illustrate two potential applications, the multispectral scanner data were digitally enhanced to facilitate the detection of soil disturbance and evidence of surface water transport. The main conclusion of this study was that multispectral data acquired under these conditions can be useful for soil disturbance detection. The imagery did not prove as useful, however, for direct indications of surface water transport. It was possible to infer some water transport patterns from dry water beds, but only if surface indications were present

Nuclear isotope measurement in the Hanford environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wacker, J.F.; Stoffel, J.J.; Kelley, J.M.

1995-01-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is located at the federal government's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, which was built during World War II as part of the secret Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb. Monitoring of the Site itself and surrounding environs for Hanford-related radionuclides has been a routine part of the operations since 1944. One of the most sensitive analytical methods used is thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) with triple-sector mass spectrometers. Normal geometry instruments have an abundance sensitivity of 10 -9 for uranium while the authors' newest Triple-Sector Isotope Mass Spectrometer (TRISM), utilizing a new ion-optical design developed at PNL, has an abundance sensitivity of 10 -11 . In favorable cases, sensitivity is such that complete isotopic analyses are obtained on total samples in the femtogram range; and minor isotopes in the attogram range are measured

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

1992-06-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories under contract with the Centers for Disease Control. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demography, food consumption, and agriculture; environmental pathways and dose estimates

Future Remains: Industrial Heritage at the Hanford Plutonium Works

Science.gov (United States)

Freer, Brian

This dissertation argues that U.S. environmental and historic preservation regulations, industrial heritage projects, history, and art only provide partial frameworks for successfully transmitting an informed story into the long range future about nuclear technology and its related environmental legacy. This argument is important because plutonium from nuclear weapons production is toxic to humans in very small amounts, threatens environmental health, has a half-life of 24, 110 years and because the industrial heritage project at Hanford is the first time an entire U.S. Department of Energy weapons production site has been designated a U.S. Historic District. This research is situated within anthropological interest in industrial heritage studies, environmental anthropology, applied visual anthropology, as well as wider discourses on nuclear studies. However, none of these disciplines is really designed or intended to be a completely satisfactory frame of reference for addressing this perplexing challenge of documenting and conveying an informed story about nuclear technology and its related environmental legacy into the long range future. Others have thought about this question and have made important contributions toward a potential solution. Examples here include: future generations movements concerning intergenerational equity as evidenced in scholarship, law, and amongst Native American groups; Nez Perce and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation responses to the Hanford End State Vision and Hanford's Canyon Disposition Initiative; as well as the findings of organizational scholars on the advantages realized by organizations that have a long term future perspective. While these ideas inform the main line inquiry of this dissertation, the principal approach put forth by the researcher of how to convey an informed story about nuclear technology and waste into the long range future is implementation of the proposed Future Remains clause, as

Hanford general employee training - A million dollar cost beneficial program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, P.R.

1991-02-01

In January 1990, Westinghouse Hanford Company implemented an interactive videodisc training program entitled Hanford General Employee Training. Covering all Institute of Nuclear Power Operations general employee training objectives, training mandated by US Department of Energy orders, and training prescribed by internal Westinghouse Hanford Company policies, Hanford General Employee Training presents and manages engaging training programs individually tailored to each of the 9,000 employees. Development costs for a sophisticated program such as Hanford General Employee Training were high compared to similar costs for developing ''equivalent'' traditional training. Hardware ($500,000) and labor costs ($400,000) totaled $900,000. Annual maintenance costs, equipment plus labor, are totalling about $200,000. On the benefit side, by consolidating some 17 previous Westinghouse Hanford Company courses and more effectively managing the instructional process, Hanford General Employee Training reduced the average student training time from over 11 hours to just under 4 hours. For 9,000 employees, the computed net annual savings exceeds $1.3 million. 2 refs

Westinghouse Hanford Company Operational Environmental Monitoring. Annual report, CY 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, J.W.; Johnson, A.R.; Markes, B.M.; McKinney, S.M.; Perkins, C.J.

1994-07-01

This document presents the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1993 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, sediments, soil, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities are still seen on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite conditions, the differences are less than in previous years. At certain locations on or directly adjacent to nuclear facilities and waste sites, levels can be several times higher than offsite conditions

Vitrification technology for Hanford Site tank waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, E.T.; Calmus, R.B.; Wilson, C.N.

1995-04-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site has an inventory of 217,000 m 3 of nuclear waste stored in 177 underground tanks. The DOE, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington State Department of Ecology have agreed that most of the Hanford Site tank waste will be immobilized by vitrification before final disposal. This will be accomplished by separating the tank waste into high- and low-level fractions. Capabilities for high-capacity vitrification are being assessed and developed for each waste fraction. This paper provides an overview of the program for selecting preferred high-level waste melter and feed processing technologies for use in Hanford Site tank waste processing

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. (ed.)

1992-12-01

This fifth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Information is presented on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. Models are described that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for the NEPA documents at the Hanford Site, are provided.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, C.E.

1992-12-01

This fifth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Information is presented on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. Models are described that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for the NEPA documents at the Hanford Site, are provided

Waste minimization -- Hanford`s strategy for sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merry, D.S.

1998-01-30

The Hanford Site cleanup activity is an immense and challenging undertaking, which includes characterization and decommissioning of 149 single-shell storage tanks, treating waste stored in 28 double-shell tanks, safely disposing of over 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel stored onsite, removing thousands of structures, and dealing with significant solid waste, groundwater, and land restoration issues. The Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization (P2/WMin) Program supports the Hanford Site mission to safely clean up and manage legacy waste and to develop and deploy science and technology in many ways. Once such way is through implementing and documenting over 231 waste reduction projects during the past five years, resulting in over $93 million in cost savings/avoidances. These savings/avoidances allowed other high priority cleanup work to be performed. Another way is by exceeding the Secretary of Energy`s waste reduction goals over two years ahead of schedule, thus reducing the amount of waste to be stored, treated and disposed. Six key elements are the foundation for these sustained P2/WMin results.

Scenarios for the Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste (ILAW) performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MANN, F.M.

1999-01-01

Scenarios describing representative exposure cases associated with the disposal of low activity waste from the Hanford Waste Tanks have been defined. These scenarios are based on guidance from the Department of Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and previous Hanford waste disposal performance assessments

Disposal of Radioactive Waste at Hanford Creates Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Chemical and Engineering News, 1978

1978-01-01

Radioactive storage tanks at the Hanford facility have developed leaks. The situation is presently considered safe, but serious. A report from the National Academy of Science has recommended that the wastes be converted to stable solids and stored at another site on the Hanford Reservation. (Author/MA)

PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF THE HANFORD WINDSTORMS OF JANUARY 11, 1972 AND JANUARY 21, 1972

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henager, C. H.; Fuquay, J. J.

1972-06-01

The windstorm of January 11 caused a minor amount of damage to the Hanford Reservation and Hanford vicinity. Damage sustained to Hanford Reservation structures (roofing, flashing, fences, windows) was approximately $20,000. One building did receive structural damage to roof members. Evidence that wind pressures did not reach 30 lb/ft{sup 2} during the January 11 windstorm was provided in the fact that specially designed exterior wall panels did not fail. These panels were designed and carefully proof-tested to insure that they would fail at a loading of 30 lb/ft{sup 2} as a requirement of structural safety in the original design-construction program in 1952-1954. There was one power outage on the Hanford Reservation due to the January 11 windstorm (Rattlesnake Mountain Observatory). Damage to power lines and electrical facilities amounted to about $1600. Damage to structures in the Hanford vicinity (excluding the Hanford Reservation) from the January 11 windstorm was estimated to cost $13,000. This does not include damage to private residences, etc., which has been estimated by others to be near $250,000. Power line damage in the Hanford vicinity amounted to about $80,000, of which $60,000 was accounted for in the loss of four transmission towers in the tie-line between Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams. The January 21 windstorm, which struck Toppenish, Washington, was a straight-wind of the catabatic foehn type and not a tornado-type wind as described in newspaper accounts. No funnel cloud was associated with this windstorm. The maximum gust was about 85 mph at 30 ft above the ground. Cost estimates of damage in Toppenish were not available. There were no power outages or structural damage on the Hanford Reservation from the January 21 windstorm. Total damage to the Hanford Reservation from the two windstorms was estimated to be about $22,500.

Glass science tutorial: Lecture No. 7, Waste glass technology for Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, A.A.

1995-07-01

This paper presents the details of the waste glass tutorial session that was held to promote knowledge of waste glass technology and how this can be used at the Hanford Reservation. Topics discussed include: glass properties; statistical approach to glass development; processing properties of nuclear waste glass; glass composition and the effects of composition on durability; model comparisons of free energy of hydration; LLW glass structure; glass crystallization; amorphous phase separation; corrosion of refractories and electrodes in waste glass melters; and glass formulation for maximum waste loading

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project monthly report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMakin, A.H., Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1992-09-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction MDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The TSP consists of experts in envirorunental pathways. epidemiology, surface-water transport, ground-water transport, statistics, demography, agriculture, meteorology, nuclear engineering. radiation dosimetry. and cultural anthropology. Included are appointed members representing the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, a representative of Native American tribes, and an individual representing the public. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): Source Terms; Environmental Transport; Environmental Monitoring Data Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture; and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates

Environmental assessment: Reference repository location, Hanford site, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The site is in the Columbia Plateau, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. To determine their suitability, the Hanford Site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the draft EAs, the DOE prepared the final EAs. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Hanford site is not disqualified under the guidelines. The DOE has also found that it is suitable for site characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the Hanford site as one of five sites suitable for characterization.

Environmental assessment: Reference repository location, Hanford site, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

none,

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The site is in the Columbia Plateau, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. To determine their suitability, the Hanford site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the draft EAs, the DOE prepared the final EAs. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Hanford site is not disqualified under the guidelines. The DOE has also found that is is suitable for site characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the Hanford site as one of five sites available for characterization.

Environmental assessment: Reference repository location, Hanford site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The site is in the Columbia Plateau, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. To determine their suitability, the Hanford Site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the draft EAs, the DOE prepared the final EAs. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Hanford site is not disqualified under the guidelines. The DOE has also found that it is suitable for site characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the Hanford site as one of five sites suitable for characterization

Environmental assessment: Reference repository location, Hanford site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-05-01

In February 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) identified a reference repository location at the Hanford Site in Washington as one of the nine potentially acceptable sites for a mined geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The site is in the Columbia Plateau, which is one of five distinct geohydrologic settings considered for the first repository. To determine their suitability, the Hanford site and the eight other potentially acceptable sites have been evaluated in accordance with the DOE's General Guidelines for the Recommendation of Sites for the Nuclear Waste Repositories. These evaluations were reported in draft environmental assessments (EAs), which were issued for public review and comment. After considering the comments received on the draft EAs, the DOE prepared the final EAs. On the basis of the evaluations reported in this EA, the DOE has found that the Hanford site is not disqualified under the guidelines. The DOE has also found that is is suitable for site characterization because the evidence does not support a conclusion that the site will not be able to meet each of the qualifying conditions specified in the guidelines. On the basis of these findings, the DOE is nominating the Hanford site as one of five sites available for characterization

Risk-based prioritization at Hanford Nuclear Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesser, W.A.; Mosely, M.T.

1995-11-01

This paper describes the method used to incorporate risk-based decision making into the Hanford resource allocation process. This method, the Revised Priority Planning Grid, is used as a tool to calculate benefits and benefit-to-cost ratios for comparison of environmental cleanup activities. The tool is based on Hanford Site objectives. Benefits are determined by estimating the impact on those objectives resulting from funding specific environmental management activities. Impacts are also a function of the weights associated with the objectives. These weights in the Revised Priority Planning Grid reflect US Development of Energy management values, which were obtained through a formal value-elicitation process. With modification to the objectives and weights, the Revised Priority Planning Grid could be used in different situations. By factoring in environmental, safety, and health risk and assigning higher scores to those activities that provide the most benefit, the Revised Priority Planning Grid is a reproducible, scientific way of scoring competing activities or interests

Natural phenomena analyses, Hanford Site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tallman, A.M.

1989-01-01

Probabilistic seismic hazard studies completed for the Washington Public Power Supply System's Nuclear Plant 2 and for the US Department of Energy's N Reactor sites, both on the Hanford Site, suggested that the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory seismic exposure estimates were lower than appropriate, especially for sites near potential seismic sources. A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment was completed for those areas that contain process and/or waste management facilities. the lower bound magnitude of 5.0 is used in the hazard analysis and the characteristics of small-magnitude earthquakes relatively common to the Hanford Site are addressed. The recommended ground motion for high-hazard facilities is somewhat higher than the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory model and the ground motion from small-magnitude earthquakes is addressed separately from the moderate- to large-magnitude earthquake ground motion. The severe wind and tornado hazards determined for the Hanford Siste are in agreement with work completed independently using 43 years of site data. The low-probability, high-hazard, design-basis flood at the Hanford Site is dominated by dam failure on the Columbia River. Further evaluation of the mechanisms and probabilities of such flooding is in progress. The Hanford Site is downwind from several active Cascade volcanoes. Geologic and historical data are used to estimate the ashfall hazard

Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1998 - FY 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joyce, S.M.

1998-01-01

Analytical Services projections are compiled for the Hanford site based on inputs from the major programs for the years 1998 through 2002. Projections are categorized by radiation level, protocol, sample matrix and program. Analyses requirements are also presented. This document summarizes the Hanford sample projections for fiscal years 1998 to 2002. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS), Solid Waste, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition, details on laboratory scale technology (development) work, Sample Management, and Data Management activities are included. This information will be used by Hanford Analytical Services (HAS) and the Sample Management Working Group (SMWG) to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs

Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1998--FY 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joyce, S.M.

1998-02-12

Analytical Services projections are compiled for the Hanford site based on inputs from the major programs for the years 1998 through 2002. Projections are categorized by radiation level, protocol, sample matrix and program. Analyses requirements are also presented. This document summarizes the Hanford sample projections for fiscal years 1998 to 2002. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS), Solid Waste, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition, details on laboratory scale technology (development) work, Sample Management, and Data Management activities are included. This information will be used by Hanford Analytical Services (HAS) and the Sample Management Working Group (SMWG) to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs.

Accelerated clean-up at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frain, J.M.; Johnson, W.L.

1994-01-01

The Hanford Site began operations in 1943 as one of the sites for plutonium production associated with the Manhattan Project. It has been used, in part, for nuclear reactor operation, reprocessing of spent fuel, and management of radioactive waste. The Hanford Site covers approximately 1,434 km 2 (560 mi 2 2) in southeastern Washington State. The subject of this paper, the 618-9 Burial Ground, is located on the Hanford Site approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) west of the Columbia River, and a few miles north of Richland, Washington. Throughout Hanford Site history, prior to legislation regarding disposal of chemical waste products, some chemical waste byproducts were disposed ,ia burial in trenches. One such trench was the 618-9 Burial Ground. This burial ground was suspected to contain approximately 19,000 L (5,000 gal) of uranium-contaminated organic solvent, disposed in standard 55-gal (208-L) metal drums. The waste was produced from research and development activities related to fuel reprocessing

Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavender, J.C.

1994-01-01

The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports

Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavender, J.C.

1994-09-09

The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports.

Removing Phosphate from Hanford High-Phosphate Tank Wastes: FY 2010 Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumetta, Gregg J.; Braley, Jenifer C.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Qafoku, Odeta; Felmy, Andrew R.; Carter, Jennifer C.; MacFarlan, Paul J.

2010-09-22

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for environmental remediation at the Hanford Site in Washington State, a former nuclear weapons production site. Retrieving, processing, immobilizing, and disposing of the 2.2 × 105 m3 of radioactive wastes stored in the Hanford underground storage tanks dominates the overall environmental remediation effort at Hanford. The cornerstone of the tank waste remediation effort is the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). As currently designed, the capability of the WTP to treat and immobilize the Hanford tank wastes in the expected lifetime of the plant is questionable. For this reason, DOE has been pursuing supplemental treatment options for selected wastes. If implemented, these supplemental treatments will route certain waste components to processing and disposition pathways outside of WTP and thus will accelerate the overall Hanford tank waste remediation mission.

Fluor Hanford Nuclear Material Stabilization Project Welding Manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BERKEY, J.R.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this section of the welding manual is to: (1) Provide a general description of the major responsibilities of the organizations involved with welding. (2) Provide general guidance concerning the application of codes related to welding. This manual contains requirements for welding for all Fluor Hanford (FH) welding operators working on the W460 Project, in the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) at the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford facilities. These procedures and any additional requirements for these joining processes can be used by all FH welding operators that are qualified. The Welding Procedure Specifications (WPS) found in this document were established from Procedure Qualification Records (PQR) qualified by FH specifically for the W460 Project. PQRs are permanent records of the initial testing and qualification program and are used to backup, and support, the WPS. The identification numbers of the supporting PQR(s) are recorded on each WPS. All PQRs are permanently stored under the supervision of the Fluor Hanford Welding Engineer (FHWE). New PQRs and WPSs will continue to be developed as necessary. The qualification of welders, welding operators and welding procedures will be performed for FH under supervision and concurrent of the FHWE. All new welding procedures to be entered in this manual or welder personnel to be added to the welder qualification database, shall be approved by the FHWE

The regulatory approach for spent nuclear storage and conditioning facility: The Hanford example

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sellers, E.D.; Mooers, G.C. III; Daschke, K.D.; Driggers, S.A.; Timmins, D.C.

1996-01-01

Hearings held before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in March 1994, requested that officials of federal agencies and other experts explore options for providing regulatory oversight of the US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities and operations. On January, 25, 1995, the DOE, supported by the White House Office of Environmental Quality and the Office of Management and Budget, formally initiated an Advisory Committee on External Regulation of DOE Nuclear Safety. In concert with this initiative and public opinion, the DOE Richland Operations Office has initiated the K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel Project -- Regulatory Policy. The DOE has established a program to move the spent nuclear fuel presently stored in the K Basins to a new storage facility located in the 200 East Area of the Hanford Site. New facilities will be designed and constructed for safe conditioning and interim storage of the fuel. In implementing this Policy, DOE endeavors to achieve in these new facilities ''nuclear safety equivalency'' to comparable US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-licensed facilities. The DOE has established this Policy to take a proactive approach to better align its facilities to the requirements of the NRC, anticipating the future possibility of external regulation. The Policy, supplemented by other DOE rules and directives, form the foundation of an enhanced regulatory, program that will be implemented through the DOE K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (the Project)

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E. (eds.)

1992-06-01

This report of the Hanford Reservation is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1991 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E.

1992-06-01

This report of the Hanford Reservation is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1991 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality

DNFSB Recommendation 94-1 Hanford site integrated stabilization management plan, volumes 1 and 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, E.W.

1996-01-01

This document comprises the Hanford Site Integrated Stabilization Management Plan (SISMP). This document describes the DOE's plans at the Hanford Site to address concerns identified in Defense Nuclear Facilites Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1. This document also identifies plans for other spent nuclear fuel (SNF) inventories at the Hanford Site which are not within the scope of DNFSB Recommendation 94-1 for reference purposes because of their interrelationship with plans for SNF within the scope of DNFSB Recommendation 94-1. The SISMP was also developed to assist DOE in initial formulation of the Research and Development Plan and the Integrated Facilities Plan

Hanford groundwater scenario studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnett, R.C.; Gephart, R.E.; Deju, R.A.; Cole, C.R.; Ahlstrom, S.W.

1977-05-01

This report documents the results of two Hanford groundwater scenario studies. The first study examines the hydrologic impact of increased groundwater recharge resulting from agricultural development in the Cold Creek Valley located west of the Hanford Reservation. The second study involves recovering liquid radioactive waste which has leaked into the groundwater flow system from a hypothetical buried tank containing high-level radioactive waste. The predictive and control capacity of the onsite Hanford modeling technology is used to evaluate both scenarios. The results of the first study indicate that Cold Creek Valley irrigationis unlikely to cause significant changes in the water table underlying the high-level waste areas or in the movement of radionuclides already in the groundwater. The hypothetical tank leak study showed that an active response (in this case waste recovery) can be modeled and is a possible alternative to passive monitoring of radionuclide movement in the unlikely event that high-level waste is introduced into the groundwater

Hanford Site near-facility environmental monitoring data report for calendar year 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DIEDIKER, L.P.

1999-07-29

This document summarizes the results of the U.S. Department of Energy's Near-Facility Environmental Monitoring program conducted by Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc. for Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. for 1998 in the 100,200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in southcentral Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Hanford Site near-facility environmental monitoring data report for calendar year 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DIEDIKER, L.P.

1999-01-01

This document summarizes the results of the U.S. Department of Energy's Near-Facility Environmental Monitoring program conducted by Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc. for Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. for 1998 in the 100,200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in southcentral Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years

Macroencapsulation of mixed waste debris at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation -- Final project report by AST Environmental Services, LLC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, T.L.

1998-01-01

This report summarizes the results of a full-scale demonstration of a high density polyethylene (HDPE) package, manufactured by Arrow Construction, Inc. of Montgomery, Alabama. The HDPE package, called ARROW-PAK, was designed and patented by Arrow as both a method to macroencapsulation of radioactively contaminated lead and as an improved form of waste package for treatment and interim and final storage and/or disposal of drums of mixed waste. Mixed waste is waste that is radioactive, and meets the criteria established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for a hazardous material. Results from previous testing conducted for the Department of Energy (DOE) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in 1994 found that the ARROW-PAK fabrication process produces an HDPE package that passes all helium leak tests and drop tests, and is fabricated with materials impervious to the types of environmental factors encountered during the lifetime of the ARROW-PAK, estimated to be from 100 to 300 years. Arrow Construction, Inc. has successfully completed full-scale demonstration of its ARROW-PAK mixed waste macroencapsulation treatment unit at the DOE Hanford Site. This testing was conducted in accordance with Radiological Work Permit No. T-860, applicable project plans and procedures, and in close consultation with Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc.'s project management, health and safety, and quality assurance representatives. The ARROW-PAK field demonstration successfully treated 880 drums of mixed waste debris feedstock which were compacted and placed in 149 70-gallon overpack drums prior to macroencapsulation in accordance with the US EPA Alternate Debris Treatment Standards, 40 CFR 268.45. Based on all of the results, the ARROW-PAK process provides an effective treatment, storage and/or disposal option that compares favorably with current mixed waste management practices

Reactivity of Peroxynitrite: Implications for Hanford Waste Management and Remediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurst, James K.

2003-01-01

The purpose of this grant has been to provide basic chemical research in support of a major project undertaken at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) whose purpose was to provide better understanding of the complex chemical processes occurring an nuclear storage tanks on the Hanford reservation. More specifically, the BNL grant was directed at evaluating the extend of radiation-induced formation of peroxynitrite anion (ONOO) in the tanks and its possible use in was incorporated as a subcontract EMSP 73824, but was later changed to an independent grant to avoid unnecessary duplication of administrative support at both WSU and BNL

Independent technical review of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

The Independent Technical Assessment of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations was commissioned by the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management on November 1, 1991. The Independent Technical Assessment team conducted on-site interviews and inspections during the following periods: November 18 to 22,1991; April 13 to 17; and April 27 to May 1, 1992. Westinghouse Hanford Company is the management and operating contractor for the Department of Energy at the Hanford site. The Hanford Tank Farm Operations consists of 177 underground storage tanks containing 61 million gallons of high-level radioactive mixed wastes from the chemical reprocessing of nuclear fuel. The Tank Farm Operations also includes associated transfer lines, ancillary equipment, and instrumentation. The Independent Technical Assessment of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations builds upon the prior assessments of the Hanford Waste Vitrification System and the Hanford Site Tank Waste Disposal Strategy.The objective of this technical assessment was to determine whether an integrated and sound program exists to manage the tank-waste storage and tankfarm operations consistent with the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management's guidance of overall risk minimization. The scope of this review includes the organization, management, operation, planning, facilities, and mitigation of the safety-concerns of the Hanford Tank Waste Remediation System. The assessments presented in the body of this report are based on the detailed observations discussed in the appendices. When the assessments use the term ''Hanford'' as an organizational body it means DOE-RL and Westinghouse Hanford Company as a minimum, and in many instances all of the stake holders for the Hanford site

Processing constraints on high-level nuclear waste glasses for Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hrma, P.R.

1993-09-01

The work presented in this paper is a part of a major technology program supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in preparation for the planned operation of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP). Because composition of Hanford waste varies greatly, processability is a major concern for successful vitrification. This paper briefly surveys general aspects of waste glass processability and then discusses their ramifications for specific examples of Hanford waste streams

PROJECT HANFORD MANAGEMENT CONTRACT (PHMC) PERFORMANCE REPORT 05/2004 (WWW.HANFORD.GOV/EMPR.INDEX.CFM)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PIELSTICK, R.M.

2004-01-01

This report is the monthly performance summary of the Central Plateau Contractors. FH work scope responsibilities are described, and other contractor/RL-managed work is excluded. Section A, Overview, provides a summary of the cost, schedule, and technical performance described in this report. It summarizes performance for the period covered, highlights areas worthy of management attention, and provides key performance activities as extracted from the contractor baseline. Subsequent sections of this report provide detailed performance data relative to contract sections (e.g., Project Hanford Cleanup Work Summary, Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Operations, Infrastructure and Hanford Site Services, and other Work Scope). All information is as of the end of May 2004 unless otherwise noted

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project independent direction and oversight

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blazek, M.L.; Power, M.

1991-01-01

Hanford was selected in 1942 as one of the sites for the Manhattan Project. It produced plutonium for one of the world's first nuclear weapons. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors continued to make plutonium for nuclear weapons at Hanford for more than four decades. In the early days of Hanford operations, radioactive materials routinely were released to the environment by many processes. The DOE disclosed documents about these releases in 1986. In 1987, Washington, Oregon, and regional Indian tribes gathered an independent panel of experts. This group recommended dose reconstruction and health effects feasibility studies. Later that year, DOE hired Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to reconstruct potential public radiation doses from Hanford's past releases of radioactive material. The DOE agreed with the states and tribes that project direction would come from an independent technical steering panel (TSP). This approach was critical to gain public credibility for the project and the science. The TSP directs the project and makes policy. That is now clear - but, it was hard-earned. Conducting science in an open public process is new, challenging, and clearly worthwhile. The panel's product is good science that is believed and accepted by the public - our client

Hanford Site Performance Report - March 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Hanford Site Performance Report - May 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Hanford Site Performance Report - April 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1996 - FY 2001. Revision 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joyce, S.M.

1997-07-02

This document summarizes the biannual Hanford sample projections for fiscal year 1997-2001. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Wastes Remediation Systems, Solid Wastes, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition to this revision, details on Laboratory scale technology (development), Sample management, and Data management activities were requested. This information will be used by the Hanford Analytical Services program and the Sample Management Working Group to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs.

HANFORD PLUTONIUM FINISHG PLAN (PFP) COMPLETES PLUTONIUM STABILIZATION KEY SAFETY ISSUES CLOSED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER, M.S.

2004-01-01

A long and intense effort to stabilize and repackage nearly 18 metric tons (MT) of plutonium-bearing leftovers from defense production and nuclear experiments concluded successfully in February, bringing universal congratulations to the Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. The victorious stabilization and packaging endeavor at the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP), managed and operated by prime contractor Fluor Hanford, Inc., finished ahead of all milestones in Hanford's cleanup agreement with regulators, and before deadlines set by the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB), a part of the federal Executive Branch that oversees special nuclear materials. The PFP stabilization and packaging project also completed under budget for its four-year tenure, and has been nominated for a DOE Secretarial Award. It won the Project of the Year Award in the local chapter competition of the Project Management Institute, and is being considered for awards at the regional and national level

Development of a carbonate crust on alkaline nuclear waste sludge at the Hanford site.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, Jason S; Reynolds, Jacob G; Ely, Tom M; Cooke, Gary A

2018-01-15

Hard crusts on aging plutonium production waste have hindered the remediation of the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington, USA. In this study, samples were analyzed to determine the cause of a hard crust that developed on the highly radioactive sludge during 20 years of inactivity in one of the underground tanks (tank 241-C-105). Samples recently taken from the crust were compared with those acquired before the crust appeared. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that aluminum and uranium phases at the surface had converted from (hydr)oxides (gibbsite and clarkeite) into carbonates (dawsonite and cejkaite) and identified trona as the cementing phase, a bicarbonate that formed at the expense of thermonatrite. Since trona is more stable at lower pH values than thermonatrite, the pH of the surface decreased over time, suggesting that CO 2 from the atmosphere lowered the pH. Thus, a likely cause of crust formation was the absorption of CO 2 from the air, leading to a reduction of the pH and carbonation of the waste surface. The results presented here help establish a model for how nuclear process waste can age and can be used to aid future remediation and retrieval activities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project monthly report, August 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McMakin, A.H.; Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1992-01-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demography; food consumption; and agriculture; and environmental pathway and dose estimates

Hanford Site National Evnironmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. (ed.)

1991-12-01

This fourth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. In Chapter 4.0 are presented summations of up-to-date information about climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels. Chapter 5.0 describes models, including their principal assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclides transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for environmental impact statements for the Hanford Site, following the structure Chapter 4.0. NO conclusions or recommendations are given in this report.

Westinghouse Hanford Company operational environmental monitoring annual report, calendar year 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, J.; Fassett, J.W.; Johnson, A.R.; Johnson, V.G.; Markes, B.M.; McKinney, S.M.; Moss, K.J.; Perkins, C.J.; Richterich, L.R.

1995-08-01

This document presents the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1994 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities are still seen on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Westinghouse Hanford Company operational environmental monitoring annual report - calendar year 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, J.W., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-07-30

This document summarizes the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1995 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water,groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Westinghouse Hanford Company FY 1996 Materials Management Plan (MMP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higginson, M.C.

1995-12-01

The safe and sound operation of facilities and the storage of nuclear material are top priorities within Hanford's environmental management, site restoration mission. The assumptions, plans and Special Nuclear Material (SNM) inventory summaries contained in this document were prepared for Department of Energy (DOE) use for interim and long- range planning. In accordance with Richland DOE field office (DOE-RL) direction, year-end inventory values were not projected over an 11 year period, as historically done in previous MMP documents. This decision was made since significant SNM movements to or from Hanford are not projected in the foreseeable future. Instead, the inventory summaries within this document reflect an ''as of date'' of June 30, 1995

Environmental monitoring at Hanford for 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquish, R.E.; Mitchell, P.J.

1988-05-01

Envoronmental monitoring activities performed on the Hanford Site for 1987 are discussed in this report. Samples of environmental media were collected to determine radionuclide and chemical concentrations at locations in the geographical area. Results are discussed in detail in subsequent sections of this report. Surveillance of radioactivity in the Hanford vicinity during 1987 indicated concentrations well below applicable DOE and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Radioactive materials released from Hanford operations were generally indistinguishable above background in the offsite environment. Continued influence from the 1986 reactor accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station in the USSR was not apparent this year. Chemical concentrations in air were below applicable standards established by the EPA and the State of Washington. Chemicals detected in the ground water beneath the Site can be attributed to both Site operations and natural background levels. Several chemicals regulated by the EPA and the State of Washington exceeded EPA drinking water standards (DWS). 106 refs., 71 figs., 110 tabs

UPDATE HANFORD SITE D and D PROGRAMS ACCELERATE EXPAND

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER, M.S.

2004-01-01

A large, new decontamination and decommissioning organization targeted toward rapid, focused work on aging and highly contaminated structures was formed at the DOE's Hanford Site in southeast Washington state in autumn 2003. Managed by prime contractor Fluor Hanford, the new organization has made significant progress during its first six months. Under the direction of Mike Lackey, who recently joined Fluor from the Portland General Electric Trojan Plant, the Fluor Hanford DandD organization is tackling the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) complex and the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), and is nearly finished demolishing the 233-S Plutonium Concentration Facility. In addition, the DandD organization is progressing through the development and public comment phases of its required environmental permitting, planning work and procurement services to DandD three other Hanford facilities: 224-T and 224-B Plutonium Concentration Facilities, and the U Plant radiochemical processing facility. It is also planning and beginning to DandD the spent fuel handling areas of the Site's 100-K Reactor Area. The 586-square mile Hanford Site, the oldest plutonium production center in the world, served as the ''workhorse'' of the American nuclear defense arsenal from 1944 through 1989. Hanford produced the special nuclear material for the plutonium cores of the Trinity (test) and Nagasaki explosions, and then went on to produce more than half of the weapons plutonium ever manufactured by the United States, and about one-fourth of that manufactured worldwide. As a result, Hanford, the top-secret ''Paul Bunyan'' in the desert, is one of the most contaminated areas in the world. Its cleanup agreement with state and federal regulators, known as the ''Tri-Party Agreement,'' celebrates its 15th anniversary this spring, at a time when operations dealing with unstable plutonium leftovers, corroded spent fuel, and liquids wastes in single-shelled tanks conclude. As these crucial jobs are coming to

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization. Revision 5

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. [ed.

1992-12-01

This fifth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Information is presented on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. Models are described that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for the NEPA documents at the Hanford Site, are provided.

Mitigation of Selected Hanford Site Manhattan Project and Cold War Era Artifacts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prendergast-Kennedy, Ellen L.; Harvey, David W.

2006-01-01

This document is the first time that Manhattan Project and Cold War era artifacts from the Hanford Site have been assembled within a publication. The publication presents photographic and written documentation of a number of Manhattan Project and Cold War era artifacts that were identified and tagged during assessment walk throughs of historic buildings on the Hanford Site but which could not be curated within the Hanford collection because they were too large for long-term storage and/or exhibit purposes or were radiologically contaminated. The significance of the artifacts in this publication and a proposed future appendix is based not on the individual significance of any single artifact but on their collective contribution to the science and engineering of creating plutonium and advancing nuclear technology in nuclear fuel and power.

Mitigation of Selected Hanford Site Manhattan Project and Cold War Era Artifacts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kennedy, Ellen P.; Harvey, David W.

2006-09-08

This document is the first time that Manhattan Project and Cold War era artifacts from the Hanford Site have been assembled within a publication. The publication presents photographic and written documentation of a number of Manhattan Project and Cold War era artifacts that were identified and tagged during assessment walk throughs of historic buildings on the Hanford Site but which could not be curated within the Hanford collection because they were too large for long-term storage and/or exhibit purposes or were radiologically contaminated. The significance of the artifacts in this publication and a proposed future appendix is based not on the individual significance of any single artifact but on their collective contribution to the science and engineering of creating plutonium and advancing nuclear technology in nuclear fuel and power.

Lead test assembly irradiation and analysis Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee and Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-07-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) needs to confirm the viability of using a commercial light water reactor (CLWR) as a potential source for maintaining the nation's supply of tritium. The Proposed Action discussed in this environmental assessment is a limited scale confirmatory test that would provide DOE with information needed to assess that option. This document contains the environmental assessment results for the Lead test assembly irradiation and analysis for the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Tennessee, and the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington

Progress and future directions for remediation of Hanford facilities and contaminated sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McClain, L.K.; Nemec, J.F.

1996-01-01

A great deal of physical progress is being made in the Hanford Environmental Restoration (ER) Project, which is responsible for the portion of work at Hanford that deals with contaminated soil and groundwater, and with inactive nuclear facilities. This work accounts for 10 to 15 percent of the Hanford site budget. (Other US Department of Energy [DOE] programs and contractors are responsible for the high-level liquid waste in underground storage tanks and the spent nuclear fuel). The project open-quotes closed the circleclose quotes on environmental restoration at Hanford this summer when the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility (ERDF) went into operation and began receiving wastes being excavated from contaminated areas in Hanford's open-quotes 100 Areaclose quotes along the Columbia River. With this milestone event, environmental restoration at Hanford now has a clear path forward: (1) Waste areas along the Columbia River have been identified, volume estimates are being refined, and excavation has started. (2) The million-cubic-yard capacity ERDF is receiving waste from excavation in the 100 Area. (3) Deactivation of the N Reactor will be completed within a year. (4) Numerous other facilities in the 100 Area are being decommissioned, eliminating hazards and reducing the costs of surveillance and maintenance (S ampersand M). (5) A demonstration of long-term protective storage for one of the reactor blocks is in progress. (6) A comprehensive groundwater treatment strategy is in place. This paper describes the Hanford ER project, the progress being made, and the management techniques that are making the project successful

Avifauna of waste ponds ERDA Hanford Reservation, Benton County, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzner, R.E.; Rickard, W.H.

1975-06-01

The presence of small ponds on the Hanford 200 Area plateau provides attractive habitats for birds. During a 29-month period, 126 bird species were observed utilizing these ponds, their associated vegetation, and air space. Waterfowls are the important agents of dispersal of radionuclides from waste ponds based on food habits, abundance, migratory habits, and importance as food in the diet of people. Abundance, long residence time, and food habits identify the American coot as the single most important species to be considered in the biological dispersal of radionuclides from waste ponds. (U.S.)

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project monthly report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.

1990-12-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have been have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demographics, agriculture, food habits; and environmental pathways and dose estimates. 3 figs., 3 tabs

Hanford Site existing irradiated fuel storage facilities description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Willis, W.L.

1995-01-11

This document describes facilities at the Hanford Site which are currently storing spent nuclear fuels. The descriptions provide a basis for the no-action alternatives of ongoing and planned National Environmental Protection Act reviews.

Women and the Hanford Site

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Michele

2014-03-01

When we study the technical and scientific history of the Manhattan Project, women's history is sometimes left out. At Hanford, a Site whose past is rich with hard science and heavy construction, it is doubly easy to leave out women's history. After all, at the World War II Hanford Engineer Works - the earliest name for the Hanford Site - only nine percent of the employees were women. None of them were involved in construction, and only one woman was actually involved in the physics and operations of a major facility - Dr. Leona Woods Marshall. She was a physicist present at the startup of B-Reactor, the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor - now a National Historic Landmark. Because her presence was so unique, a special bathroom had to be built for her in B-Reactor. At World War II Hanford, only two women were listed among the nearly 200 members of the top supervisory staff of the prime contractor, and only one regularly attended the staff meetings of the Site commander, Colonel Franklin Matthias. Overall, women comprised less than one percent of the managerial and supervisory staff of the Hanford Engineer Works, most of them were in nursing or on the Recreation Office staff. Almost all of the professional women at Hanford were nurses, and most of the other women of the Hanford Engineer Works were secretaries, clerks, food-service workers, laboratory technicians, messengers, barracks workers, and other support service employees. The one World War II recruiting film made to attract women workers to the Site, that has survived in Site archives, is entitled ``A Day in the Life of a Typical Hanford Girl.'' These historical facts are not mentioned to criticize the past - for it is never wise to apply the standards of one era to another. The Hanford Engineer Works was a 1940s organization, and it functioned by the standards of the 1940s. Just as we cannot criticize the use of asbestos in constructing Hanford (although we may wish they hadn't used so much of it), we

Hanford Site baseline risk assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

This report describes risk assessment methodology associated with the remedial action programs at the Hanford Reservation. Topics addressed include human health evaluation, pollutant and radionuclide transport through the environment, and environmental transport pathways

Evidence for dawsonite in Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks.

Science.gov (United States)

Reynolds, Jacob G; Cooke, Gary A; Herting, Daniel L; Warrant, R Wade

2012-03-30

Gibbsite [Al(OH)(3)] and boehmite (AlOOH) have long been assumed to be the most prevalent aluminum-bearing minerals in Hanford high-level nuclear waste sludge. The present study shows that dawsonite [NaAl(OH)(2)CO(3)] is also a common aluminum-bearing phase in tanks containing high total inorganic carbon (TIC) concentrations and (relatively) low dissolved free hydroxide concentrations. Tank samples were probed for dawsonite by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) and Polarized Light Optical Microscopy. Dawsonite was conclusively identified in four of six tanks studied. In a fifth tank (AN-102), the dawsonite identification was less conclusive because it was only observed as a Na-Al bearing phase with SEM-EDS. Four of the five tank samples with dawsonite also had solid phase Na(2)CO(3) · H(2)O. The one tank without observable dawsonite (Tank C-103) had the lowest TIC content of any of the six tanks. The amount of TIC in Tank C-103 was insufficient to convert most of the aluminum to dawsonite (Al:TIC mol ratio of 20:1). The rest of the tank samples had much lower Al:TIC ratios (between 2:1 and 0.5:1) than Tank C-103. One tank (AZ-102) initially had dawsonite, but dawsonite was not observed in samples taken 15 months after NaOH was added to the tank surface. When NaOH was added to a laboratory sample of waste from Tank AZ-102, the ratio of aluminum to TIC in solution was consistent with the dissolution of dawsonite. The presence of dawsonite in these tanks is of significance because of the large amount of OH(-) consumed by dawsonite dissolution, an effect confirmed with AZ-102 samples. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hanford spent nuclear fuel project recommended path forward, volume III: Alternatives and path forward evaluation supporting documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulton, J.C.

1994-10-01

Volume I of the Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project - Recommended Path Forward constitutes an aggressive series of projects to construct and operate systems and facilities to safely retrieve, package, transport, process, and store K Basins fuel and sludge. Volume II provided a comparative evaluation of four Alternatives for the Path Forward and an evaluation for the Recommended Path Forward. Although Volume II contained extensive appendices, six supporting documents have been compiled in Volume III to provide additional background for Volume II

Hanford Waste Vitrification Project overview and status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swenson, L.D.; Smets, J.L.

1993-01-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Project (HWVP) is being constructed at the US DOE's Hanford Site in Richland, WA. Engineering and design are being accomplished by Fluor Daniel Inc. in Irvine, CA. Technical input is furnished by Westinghouse Hanford Co. and construction management services by UE ampersand C-Catalytic Inc. The HWVP will immobilize high level nuclear waste in a glass matrix for eventual disposal in the federal repository. The HWVP consists of several structures, the major ones being the Vitrification Building, the Canister Storage Building, fan house, sand filter, waste hold tank, pump house, and administration and construction facilities. Construction started in April 1992 with the clearing and grubbing activities that prepared the site for fencing and construction preparation. Several design packages have been released for procurement activities. The most significant package release is for the Canister Storage Building, which will be the first major structure to be constructed

Ecological distribution and fate of plutonium and americium in a processing waste pond on the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emergy, R.M.; Klopfer, D.C.; McShane, M.C.

1978-01-01

U Pond, located on the Hanford Reservation, has received low-level quantities of plutonium (Pu) and americium (Am) longer than any other aquatic environment in the world. Its ecological complexity and content of transuranics make it an ideal resource for information concerning the movement of these actinides within and out of an aquatic ecosystem. U Pond has been intensively inventoried for Pu concentrations in the ecological compartments and characterized limnologically in terms of its physicochemial parameters, biological productivity, and community structure. This work provides a basis for evaluating the pond's performance in retaining waste transuranics. The quantitative estimation of export routes developed by this study is important in determining how effectively such ponds act as retainers for transuranic wastes

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project, Quarterly report, September--November 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1993-01-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates); Source Terms, Environmental Transport, Environmental Monitoring Data, Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture, and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates

Site-specific calibration of the Hanford personnel neutron dosimeter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endres, A.W.; Brackenbush, L.W.; Baumgartner, W.V.; Rathbone, B.A.

1994-10-01

A new personnel dosimetry system, employing a standard Hanford thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) and a combination dosimeter with both CR-39 nuclear track and TLD-albedo elements, is being implemented at Hanford. Measurements were made in workplace environments in order to verify the accuracy of the system and establish site-specific factors to account for the differences in dosimeter response between the workplace and calibration laboratory. Neutron measurements were performed using sources at Hanford's Plutonium Finishing Plant under high-scatter conditions to calibrate the new neutron dosimeter design to site-specific neutron spectra. The dosimeter was also calibrated using bare and moderated 252 Cf sources under low-scatter conditions available in the Hanford Calibration Laboratory. Dose equivalent rates in the workplace were calculated from spectrometer measurements using tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and multisphere spectrometers. The accuracy of the spectrometers was verified by measurements on neutron sources with calibrations directly traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Simulation of the cleanup of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ludowise, J.D.; Allen, G.K.

1992-12-01

The Hanford Site is a 1,450-km 2 (560-mi 2 ) tract of semiarid land in southeastern Washington State. Nuclear materials for the nation's defense programs were manufactured at the Hanford Site for more than 40 years. The waste generated by these activities has been treated, stored, or disposed of in a variety of ways. The Hanford Site strategic analysis provides a general comparison analysis tool to guide selection and future modification of the integrated Site cleanup plan. A key element of the Hanford strategic analysis is a material flow model that tracks 80 individual feed elements containing 60 componentsof interest through 50 functional processing blocks in 12 different configurations. The material flow model was developed for parametric analyses using separation factors and parameters specific to individual feeds. The model was constructed so that the effects of individual feed streams can be traced through a flowsheet, and the performance parameters of each functional block can be varied independently. The material flow model has five major elements: input database, process flow diagrams, sequential modular process simulation, output database, and output summing program

Hanford Site performance report - December 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology support to the Environmental Management (EM) mission. This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. Currently, the report focuses on the EM mission, and will be expanded in the future to include non-EM activities. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a tabular performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, a look at Significant Trends, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators. The Site Summary is a compilation of performance data from all of the Mission Areas and the Projects that comprise these Mission Areas; the information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or the Site Summary sections. At the end of this report, a glossary of terms is provided

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program description for high-level waste form development and qualification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-08-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Project has been established to convert the high-level radioactive waste associated with nuclear defense production at the Hanford Site into a waste form suitable for disposal in a deep geologic repository. The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant will mix processed radioactive waste with borosilicate material, then heat the mixture to its melting point (vitrification) to forin a glass-like substance that traps the radionuclides in the glass matrix upon cooling. The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program has been established to support the mission of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant. This Quality Assurance Program Description has been written to document the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program

Fluor Hanford Project Focused Progress at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HANSON, R.D.

2000-01-01

Fluor Hanford is making significant progress in accelerating cleanup at the Hanford site. This progress consistently aligns with a new strategic vision established by the U.S. Department of Energy's Richland Operations Office (RL)

Deactivation completed at historic Hanford Fuels Laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerber, M.S.

1994-03-01

This report discusses deactivation work which was completed as of March 31, 1994 at the 308 Fuels Development Laboratory (FDL) at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. The decision to deactivate the structure, formerly known as the Plutonium Fabrication Pilot Plant (PFPP), was driven by a 1980s Department of Energy (DOE) decision that plutonium fuels should not be fabricated in areas near the Site`s boundaries, as well as by changing facility structural requirements. Inventory transfer has been followed by the cleanout and stabilization of plutonium oxide (PuO{sub 2}) and enriched uranium oxide (UO{sub 2}) residues and powders in the facility`s equipment and duct work. The Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington state, was one of America`s primary arsenals of nuclear defense production for nearly 50 years beginning in World War II. Approximately 53 metric tons of weapons grade plutonium, over half of the national supply and about one quarter of the world`s supply, were produced at Hanford between 1944 and 1989. Today, many Site buildings are undergoing deactivation, a precursor phase to decontamination and decommissioning (D&D). The primary difference between the two activities is that equipment and structural items are not removed or torn down in deactivation. However, utilities are disconnected, and special nuclear materials (SNM) as well as hazardous and pyrophoric substances are removed from structures undergoing this process.

Deactivation completed at historic Hanford Fuels Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.S.

1994-03-01

This report discusses deactivation work which was completed as of March 31, 1994 at the 308 Fuels Development Laboratory (FDL) at the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. The decision to deactivate the structure, formerly known as the Plutonium Fabrication Pilot Plant (PFPP), was driven by a 1980s Department of Energy (DOE) decision that plutonium fuels should not be fabricated in areas near the Site's boundaries, as well as by changing facility structural requirements. Inventory transfer has been followed by the cleanout and stabilization of plutonium oxide (PuO 2 ) and enriched uranium oxide (UO 2 ) residues and powders in the facility's equipment and duct work. The Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington state, was one of America's primary arsenals of nuclear defense production for nearly 50 years beginning in World War II. Approximately 53 metric tons of weapons grade plutonium, over half of the national supply and about one quarter of the world's supply, were produced at Hanford between 1944 and 1989. Today, many Site buildings are undergoing deactivation, a precursor phase to decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D). The primary difference between the two activities is that equipment and structural items are not removed or torn down in deactivation. However, utilities are disconnected, and special nuclear materials (SNM) as well as hazardous and pyrophoric substances are removed from structures undergoing this process

Assessment of groundwater management at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deju, R.A.

1975-01-01

A comprehensive review of the groundwater management and environmental monitoring programs at the Hanford reservation was initiated in 1973. A large number of recommendations made as a result of this review are summarized. The purpose of the Hanford Hydrology Program is to maintain a groundwater surveillance network to assess contamination of the natural water system. Potential groundwater contamination is primarily a function of waste management decisions. The review revealed that although the hydrology program would greatly benefit from additional improvements, it is adequate to predict levels of contaminants present in the groundwater system. Studies are presently underway to refine advanced mathematical models to use results of the hydrologic investigation in forecasting the response of the system to different long-term management decisions. No information was found which indicates that a hazard through the groundwater pathway presently exists as a result of waste operations at Hanford. (CH)

A Short History of Hanford Waste Generation, Storage, and Release

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gephart, Roy E.

2003-01-01

Nine nuclear reactors and four reprocessing plants at Hanford produced nearly two-thirds of the plutonium used in the United States for government purposes . These site operations also created large volumes of radioactive and chemical waste. Some contaminants were released into the environment, exposing people who lived downwind and downstream. Other contaminants were stored. The last reactor was shut down in 1987, and the last reprocessing plant closed in 1990. Most of the human-made radioactivity and about half of the chemicals remaining onsite are kept in underground tanks and surface facilities. The rest exists in the soil, groundwater, and burial grounds. Hanford contains about 40% of all the radioactivity that exists across the nuclear weapons complex. Today, environmental restoration activities are under way.

Hanford Site National Evnironmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 4

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. [ed.

1991-12-01

This fourth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. In Chapter 4.0 are presented summations of up-to-date information about climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels. Chapter 5.0 describes models, including their principal assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclides transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for environmental impact statements for the Hanford Site, following the structure Chapter 4.0. NO conclusions or recommendations are given in this report.

SGN-Reseau Eurisys participates to the Hanford military site rehabilitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

Numatec Hanford Corporation, a subsidiary company of SGN-Reseau Eurisys and Cogema, gained with Fluor Daniel the contract for the rehabilitation of the old military nuclear centre of Hanford (Washington, USA). This contract of 5 years represents 5 billions of US dollars with 300 millions of dollars for the French part. This short paper gives a general description of the Hanford installations and of the partners involved in the contract: Fluor Daniel consortium, Lockheed Martin, Babcock and Wilcox, Duke Engineering and Services, Rust Federal Services, Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC), SGN-Eurisys Services Corporation (SESC). The schedule comprises: the stabilisation of the residual plutonium in all installations before December 1999, the removal of muds and debris from the K storage pool of irradiated fuels before June 2000, the draining and cleaning of the high activity storage tanks before December 2001 and the general decontamination of the installations up to the year 2005. (J.S.)

Radioactive waste shipments to Hanford Retrievable Storage from the General Electric Vallecitos Nuclear Center, Pleasanton, California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vejvoda, E.J.; Pottmeyer, J.A.; DeLorenzo, D.S.; Weyns-Rollosson, M.I. [Los Alamos Technical Associates, Inc., NM (United States); Duncan, D.R. [Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

1993-10-01

During the next two decades the transuranic (TRU) wastes now stored in the burial trenches and storage facilities at the Hanford Site are to be retrieved, processed at the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility, and shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal. Approximately 3.8% of the TRU waste to be retrieved for shipment to WIPP was generated at the General Electric (GE) Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC) in Pleasanton, California and shipped to the Hanford Site for storage. The purpose of this report is to characterize these radioactive solid wastes using process knowledge, existing records, and oral history interviews. The waste was generated almost exclusively from the activities, of the Plutonium Fuels Development Laboratory and the Plutonium Analytical Laboratory. Section 2.0 provides further details of the VNC physical plant, facility operations, facility history, and current status. The solid radioactive wastes were associated with two US Atomic Energy Commission/US Department of Energy reactor programs -- the Fast Ceramic Reactor (FCR) program, and the Fast Flux Test Reactor (FFTR) program. These programs involved the fabrication and testing of fuel assemblies that utilized plutonium in an oxide form. The types and estimated quantities of waste resulting from these programs are discussed in detail in Section 3.0. A detailed discussion of the packaging and handling procedures used for the VNC radioactive wastes shipped to the Hanford Site is provided in Section 4.0. Section 5.0 provides an in-depth look at this waste including the following: weight and volume of the waste, container types and numbers, physical description of the waste, radiological components, hazardous constituents, and current storage/disposal locations.

Radioactive waste shipments to Hanford Retrievable Storage from the General Electric Vallecitos Nuclear Center, Pleasanton, California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vejvoda, E.J.; Pottmeyer, J.A.; DeLorenzo, D.S.; Weyns-Rollosson, M.I.; Duncan, D.R.

1993-10-01

During the next two decades the transuranic (TRU) wastes now stored in the burial trenches and storage facilities at the Hanford Site are to be retrieved, processed at the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility, and shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal. Approximately 3.8% of the TRU waste to be retrieved for shipment to WIPP was generated at the General Electric (GE) Vallecitos Nuclear Center (VNC) in Pleasanton, California and shipped to the Hanford Site for storage. The purpose of this report is to characterize these radioactive solid wastes using process knowledge, existing records, and oral history interviews. The waste was generated almost exclusively from the activities, of the Plutonium Fuels Development Laboratory and the Plutonium Analytical Laboratory. Section 2.0 provides further details of the VNC physical plant, facility operations, facility history, and current status. The solid radioactive wastes were associated with two US Atomic Energy Commission/US Department of Energy reactor programs -- the Fast Ceramic Reactor (FCR) program, and the Fast Flux Test Reactor (FFTR) program. These programs involved the fabrication and testing of fuel assemblies that utilized plutonium in an oxide form. The types and estimated quantities of waste resulting from these programs are discussed in detail in Section 3.0. A detailed discussion of the packaging and handling procedures used for the VNC radioactive wastes shipped to the Hanford Site is provided in Section 4.0. Section 5.0 provides an in-depth look at this waste including the following: weight and volume of the waste, container types and numbers, physical description of the waste, radiological components, hazardous constituents, and current storage/disposal locations

Management Of Hanford KW Basin Knockout Pot Sludge As Spent Nuclear Fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raymond, R. E.; Evans, K. M.

2012-01-01

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) and AREVA Federal Services, LLC (AFS) have been working collaboratively to develop and deploy technologies to remove, transport, and interim store remote-handled sludge from the 10S-K West Reactor Fuel Storage Basin on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site near Richland, WA, USA. Two disposal paths exist for the different types of sludge found in the K West (KW) Basin. One path is to be managed as Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) with eventual disposal at an SNF at a yet to be licensed repository. The second path will be disposed as remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, NM. This paper describes the systems developed and executed by the Knockout Pot (KOP) Disposition Subproject for processing and interim storage of the sludge managed as SNF, (i.e., KOP material)

Hanford land disposal restrictions plan for mixed wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-10-01

Since the early 1940s, the Hanford Site has been involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials. These production activities have resulted in the generation of large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive mixed waste. This waste is subject to regulation under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) and the Atomic Energy Act. The State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have entered into an agreement, the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) to bring Hanford Site Operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement was amended to require development of the Hanford Land Disposal Restrictions Plan for Mixed Wastes (this plan) to comply with land disposal restrictions requirements for radioactive mixed waste. The Tri-Party Agreement requires, and the this plan provides, the following sections: Waste Characterization Plan, Storage Report, Treatment Report, Treatment Plan, Waste Minimization Plan, a schedule, depicting the events necessary to achieve full compliance with land disposal restriction requirements, and a process for establishing interim milestones. 34 refs., 28 figs., 35 tabs

Hanford land disposal restrictions plan for mixed wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-10-01

Since the early 1940s, the Hanford Site has been involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials. These production activities have resulted in the generation of large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive mixed waste. This waste is subject to regulation under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) and the Atomic Energy Act. The State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have entered into an agreement, the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) to bring Hanford Site Operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement was amended to require development of the Hanford Land Disposal Restrictions Plan for Mixed Wastes (this plan) to comply with land disposal restrictions requirements for radioactive mixed waste. The Tri-Party Agreement requires, and the this plan provides, the following sections: Waste Characterization Plan, Storage Report, Treatment Report, Treatment Plan, Waste Minimization Plan, a schedule, depicting the events necessary to achieve full compliance with land disposal restriction requirements, and a process for establishing interim milestones. 34 refs., 28 figs., 35 tabs.

Preliminary Hanford Waste Vitrification Plan Waste Form Qualification Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.L.

1987-09-01

This Waste Form Qualification Plan describes the waste form qualification activities that will be followed during the design and operation of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant to ensure that the vitrified Hanford defense high-level wastes will meet the acceptance requirements of the candidate geologic repositories for nuclear waste. This plan is based on the defense waste processing facility requirements. The content of this plan is based on the assumption that the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant high-level waste form will be disposed of in one of the geologic repository projects. Proposed legislation currently under consideration by Congress may change or delay the repository site selection process. The impacts of this change will be assessed as details of the new legislation become available. The Plan describes activities, schedules, and programmatic interfaces. The Waste Form Qualification Plan is updated regularly to incorporate Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant-specific waste acceptance requirements and to serve as a controlled baseline plan from which changes in related programs can be incorporated. 10 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs

Description of a Multipurpose Processing and Storage Complex for the Hanford Site's radioactive material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyman, D.H.; Wolfe, B.A.; Hoertkorn, T.R.

1993-05-01

The mission of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site has changed from defense nuclear materials production to that of waste management/disposal and environmental restoration. ne Multipurpose Processing and Storage Complex (MPSC) is being designed to process discarded waste tank internal hardware contaminated with mixed wastes, failed melters from the vitrification plant, and other Hanford Site high-level solid waste. The MPSC also will provide interim storage of other radioactive materials (irradiated fuel, canisters of vitrified high-level waste [HLW], special nuclear material [SNM], and other designated radioactive materials)

SAFETY IMPROVES DRAMATICALLY IN FLUOR HANFORD SOIL AND GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION PROJECT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER MS

2007-01-01

This paper describes dramatic improvements in the safety record of the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Project (SGRP) at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington state over the past four years. During a period of enormous growth in project work and scope, contractor Fluor Hanford reduced injuries, accidents, and other safety-related incidents and enhanced a safety culture that earned the SGRP Star Status in the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) in 2007. This paper outlines the complex and multi-faceted work of Fluor Hanford's SGRP and details the steps taken by the project's Field Operations and Safety organizations to improve safety. Holding field safety meetings and walkdowns, broadening safety inspections, organizing employee safety councils, intensively flowing down safety requirements to subcontractors, and adopting other methods to achieve remarkable improvement in safety are discussed. The roles of management, labor and subcontractors are detailed. Finally, SGRP's safety improvements are discussed within the context of overall safety enhancements made by Fluor Hanford in the company's 11 years of managing nuclear waste cleanup at the Hanford Site

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant dangerous waste permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-10-01

This report presents engineering drawings of the vitrification plant at Hanford Reservation. Individual sections in the report cover piping and instrumentation, process flow schemes, and material balance tables

DNFSB Recommendation 94-1 Hanford Site Integrated Stabilization Management Plan. Volume 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, E.W.

1995-10-01

The Hanford Site Integrated Stabilization Management Plan (SISMP) was developed in support of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1 Integrated Program Plan (IPP). Volume 1 of the SISMP identifies the technical scope and costs associated with Hanford Site plans to resolve concerns identified in DNFSB Recommendation 94-1. Volume 2 of the SISMP provides the Resource Loaded Integrated Schedules for Spent Nuclear Fuel Project and Plutonium Finishing Plant activities identified in Volume 1 of the SISMP. Appendix A provides the schedules and progress curves related to spent nuclear fuel management. Appendix B provides the schedules and progress curves related to plutonium-bearing material management. Appendix C provides programmatic logic diagrams that were referenced in Volume 1 of the SISMP

The association betweeen cancers and low level radiation: An evaluation of the epidemiological evidence at the Hanford Nuclear Weapons Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britton, J.

1993-05-01

Cancer has traditionally been linked to exposure to high doses of radiation, but there is considerable controversy regarding the carcinogenicity of low doses of ionizing radiation in humans. Over the past 30 years there have been 14 studies conducted on employees at the Hanford nuclear weapons facility to investigate the relationship between exposure to low doses of radiation and mortality due to cancer (1-14). Interest in this issue was originally stimulated by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which was trying to determine whether the linear extrapolation of health effects from high to low dose exposure was accurate. If the risk has been underestimated, then the maximum permissible occupational radiation exposure in the United States had been set too high. Because the health risk associated with low level radiation are unclear and controversial it seems appropriate to review the studies relating to Hanford at this time

Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project evaluation of multi-canister overpack venting and monitoring options during staging of K basins fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiborg, J.C.

1995-12-01

This engineering study recommends whether multi-canister overpacks containing spent nuclear fuel from the Hanford K Basins should be staged in vented or a sealed, but ventable, condition during staging at the Canister Storage Building prior to hot vacuum conditioning and interim storage. The integrally related issues of MCO monitoring, end point criteria, and assessing the practicality of avoiding venting and Hot Vacuum Conditioning for a portion of the spent fuel are also considered.

Site locality identification study: Hanford Site. Volume I. Methodology, guidelines, and screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-07-01

Presented in this report are the results of the site locality identification study for the Hanford Site using a screening process. To enable evaluation of the entire Hanford Site, the screening process was applied to a somewhat larger area; i.e., the Pasco Basin. The study consisted of a series of screening steps that progressively focused on smaller areas which are within the Hanford Site and which had a higher potential for containing suitable repository sites for nuclear waste than the areas not included for further study. Five site localities, designated H-1, H-2, H-3, H-4, H-5 (Figure A), varying in size from approximately 10 to 50 square miles, were identified on the Hanford Site. It is anticipated that each site locality may contain one or more candidate sites suitable for a nuclear waste repository. The site locality identification study began with definition of objectives and the development of guidelines for screening. Three objectives were defined: (1) maximize public health and safety; (2) minimize adverse environmental and socioeconomic impacts; and (3) minimize system costs. The screening guidelines have numerical values that provided the basis for the successive reduction of the area under study and to focus on smaller areas that had a higher likelihood of containing suitable sites

Monitoring fish, wildlife, radionuclides and chemicals at Hanford, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gray, R.H.

1989-02-01

Concern about the effects of potential releases from nuclear and non-nuclear activities on the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington has evolved over four decades into a comprehensive environmental monitoring and surveillance program. The program includes field sampling, and chemical and physical analyses of air, surface and ground water, fish, wildlife, soil, foodstuffs, and natural vegetation. In addition to monitoring radioactivity in fish and wildlife, population numbers of key species are determined, usually during the breeding season. Data from monitoring efforts are used to assess the environmental impacts of Hanford operations and calculate the overall radiological dose to humans onsite, at the Site perimeter, or residing in nearby communities. Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) spawning in the Columbia River at Hanford has increased in recent years with a concomitant increase in winter nesting activity of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). An elk (Cervus elaphus) herd, established by immigration in 1972, is also increasing. Nesting Canada goose (Branta canadensis) and great blue heron (Ardea herodias), and various other animals, e.g., mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and coyotes (Canis latrans) are common. Measured exposure to penetrating radiation and calculated radiation doses to the public are well below applicable regulatory limits. 35 refs., 4 figs

Nuclear waste inventory characterization for mixer pumps and long length equipment removed from Hanford waste tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troyer, G.L.

1998-01-01

The removal and disposition of contaminated equipment from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks presents many challenges. One of which is the characterization of radioactive contaminants on components after removal. A defensible assessment of the radionuclide inventory of the components is required for disposal packaging and classification. As examples of this process, this paper discusses two projects: the withdrawal of thermocouple instrument tubes from Tank 101-AZ, and preparation for eventual replacement of the hydrogen mitigation mixer pump in Tank 101-SY. Emphasis is on the shielding analysis that supported the design of radiation detection systems and the interpolation of data recorded during the equipment retrieval operations

Hanford Works monthly report, June 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1951-07-20

This is a progress report of the production on the Hanford Reservation for the month of June 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, February 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-03-20

This is a progress report of the production on the Hanford Reservation for the month of February 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Immobilized Low Activity Waste (ILAW) Performance Assessment 2001 Version [Formerly DOE/RL-97-69] [SEC 1 & 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MANN, F.M.

2000-08-01

The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-activity fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the byproduct of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste is stored in underground single- and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low-activity and high-level fractions, and then immobilized by vitrification. The US. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at the Hanford Site until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to modify the current Disposal Authorization Statement for the Hanford Site that would allow the following: construction of disposal trenches; and filling of these trenches with ILAW containers and filler material with the intent to dispose of the containers.

The Japanese aerial attack on Hanford Engineer Works

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Charles W.

The day before the Pearl Harbor attack, December 6, 1941, the University of Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory was given four goals: design a plutonium (Pu) bomb; produce Pu by irradiation of uranium (U); extract Pu from the irradiated U; complete this in time to be militarily significant. A year later the first controlled nuclear chain reaction was attained in Chicago Pile 1 (CP-1). In January 1943, Hanford, WA was chosen as the site of the Pu factory. Neutron irradiation of 238U was to be used to make 239Pu. This was done by a larger version of CP-1, Hanford Reactor B, which went critical in September 1944. By July 1945 it had made enough Pu for two bombs: one used at the Trinity test in July; the other at Nagasaki, Japan in August. I focus on an ironic sidelight to this story: disruption of hydroelectric power to Reactor B by a Japanese fire balloon attack on March 10, 1945. This activated the costly coal-fired emergency backup plant to keep the reactor coolant water flowing, thwarting disaster and vindicating the conservative design of Hanford Engineer Works. Management of the Hanford Engineer Works in World War II, H. Thayer (ASCE Press 1996).

Spent Nuclear Fuel project, project management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuquay, B.J.

1995-01-01

The Hanford Spent Nuclear Fuel Project has been established to safely store spent nuclear fuel at the Hanford Site. This Project Management Plan sets forth the management basis for the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project. The plan applies to all fabrication and construction projects, operation of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project facilities, and necessary engineering and management functions within the scope of the project

Hydrology model evaluation at the Hanford Nuclear Waste Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-04-01

One and two-dimensional flow and contaminant transport computer models have been developed at Hanford to assess the rate and direction of contaminant movement from waste disposal sites. The primary objective of this work was to evaluate the potential improvement in accuracy that a three-dimensional model might offer over the simpler one and two-dimensional models. INTERA's hydrology contaminant transport model was used for this evaluation. Although this study was conceptual in nature, an attempt was made to relate it as closely as possible to Hanford conditions. Two-dimensional model runs were performed over the period of 1968 to 1973 using estimates of waste discharge flows, tritium concentrations, vertically averaged values of aquifer properties and boundary conditions. The well test interpretation runs confirmed the applicability of the areal hydraulic conductivity distribution. Velocity fields calculated by the two-dimensional and three-dimensional models and surface concentration profiles calculated by the two-dimensional and three-dimensional models show significant differences. Vertical concentration profiles calculated by a three-dimensional model show better qualitative agreement with the limited observed concentration profile data supplied by ARHCO

SAFETY IMPROVES DRAMATICALLY IN FLUOR HANFORD SOIL AND GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION PROJECT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER MS

2007-12-05

This paper describes dramatic improvements in the safety record of the Soil and Groundwater Remediation Project (SGRP) at the Hanford Site in southeast Washington state over the past four years. During a period of enormous growth in project work and scope, contractor Fluor Hanford reduced injuries, accidents, and other safety-related incidents and enhanced a safety culture that earned the SGRP Star Status in the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) in 2007. This paper outlines the complex and multi-faceted work of Fluor Hanford's SGRP and details the steps taken by the project's Field Operations and Safety organizations to improve safety. Holding field safety meetings and walkdowns, broadening safety inspections, organizing employee safety councils, intensively flowing down safety requirements to subcontractors, and adopting other methods to achieve remarkable improvement in safety are discussed. The roles of management, labor and subcontractors are detailed. Finally, SGRP's safety improvements are discussed within the context of overall safety enhancements made by Fluor Hanford in the company's 11 years of managing nuclear waste cleanup at the Hanford Site.

Hanford works monthly report, September 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-10-19

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of September 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, May 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-06-21

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of May 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, December 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-01-22

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of December 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, October 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-11-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of October 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, January 1952

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1952-02-21

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of January 1952. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, September 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-10-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of September 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, July 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-08-24

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of July 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, March 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-04-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of March 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, November 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-12-21

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of November 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, May 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-06-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of May 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, July 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-08-18

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of July 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, March 1952

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1952-04-18

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of April 1952. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, April 1952

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1952-05-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of April 1952. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, July 1952

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1952-08-15

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of July 1952. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, August 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-09-18

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of August 1950. This report takes each division (e.g. manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, August 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1951-09-24

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of August 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, November 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-12-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of November 1950. This report takes each division (e.g. manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, June 1950

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1950-07-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of June 1950. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, December 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1952-01-22

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of December 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, January 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-02-16

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of January 1951. This report takes each division (e.g. manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, April 1951

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1951-05-21

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of April 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Works monthly report, March 1949

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prout, G.R.

1949-04-19

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of March 1949. This report takes each division (e.g. manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month. (MB)

Plans for Managing Hanford Remote Handled Transuranic (TRU) Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCKENNEY, D.E.

2001-01-01

The current Hanford Site baseline and life-cycle waste forecast predicts that approximately 1,000 cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste will be generated by waste management and environmental restoration activities at Hanford. These 1,000 cubic meters, comprised of both transuranic and mixed transuranic (TRUM) waste, represent a significant portion of the total estimated inventory of RH-TRU to be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A systems engineering approach is being followed to develop a disposition plan for each RH-TRU/TRUM waste stream at Hanford. A number of significant decision-making efforts are underway to develop and finalize these disposition plans, including: development and approval of a RH-TRU/TRUM Waste Project Management Plan, revision of the Hanford Waste Management Strategic Plan, the Hanford Site Options Study (''Vision 2012''), the Canyon Disposal Initiative Record-of-Decision, and the Hanford Site Solid (Radioactive and Hazardous) Waste Program Environmental Impact Statement (SW-EIS). Disposition plans may include variations of several options, including (1) sending most RH-TRU/TRUM wastes to WIPP, (2) deferrals of waste disposal decisions in the interest of both efficiency and integration with other planned decision dates and (3) disposition of some materials in place consistent with Department of Energy Orders and the regulations in the interest of safety, risk minimization, and cost. Although finalization of disposition paths must await completion of the aforementioned decision documents, significant activities in support of RH-TRU/TRUM waste disposition are proceeding, including Hanford participation in development of the RH TRU WIPP waste acceptance criteria, preparation of T Plant for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel sludge, sharing of technology information and development activities in cooperation with the Mixed Waste Focus Area, RH-TRU technology demonstrations and deployments, and

Toxicity assessment of Hanford Site wastes by bacterial bioluminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rebagay, T.V.; Dodd, D.A.; Voogd, J.A.

1991-09-01

This paper examines the toxicity of the nonradioactive component of low-level wastes stored in tanks on the Hanford reservation. The use of a faster, cheaper bioassay to replace the 96 hour fish acute toxicity test is examined. The new bioassay is based on loss of bioluminescence of Photobacter phosphoreum (commonly called Microtox) following exposure to toxic materials. This bioassay is calibrated and compares well to the standard fish acute toxicity test for characterization of Hanford Wastes. 4 refs., 11 figs., 11 tabs

Hanford environmental analytical methods (methods as of March 1990)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goheen, S.D.; McCulloch, M.; Daniel, J.L.

1993-05-01

Information is provided on the techniques employed towards the chemical analysis of volatile, semi-volatile matter, pesticides and PCB's at the Hanford Reservation. Sample preparation methods are included

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 7

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. [ed.; Baker, D.A.; Chamness, M.A. [and others

1995-09-01

This seventh revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Chapter 4.0 summarizes up-to-date information on climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, environmental monitoring, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. More detailed data are available from reference sources cited or from the authors. Chapter 5.0 was not updated from the sixth revision (1994). It describes models, including their principal underlying assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. The updated Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE Orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site, following the structure of Chapter 4.0. No conclusions or recommendations are given in this report. Rather, it is a compilation of information on the Hanford Site environment that can be used directly by Site contractors. This information can also be used by any interested individual seeking baseline data on the Hanford Site and its past activities by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 6

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. [ed.; Baker, D.A.; Chamness, M.A. [and others

1994-08-01

This sixth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Chapter 4.0 summarizes up-to-date information on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. More detailed data are available from reference sources cited or from the authors; Chapter 5.0 has been significantly updated from the fifth revision. It describes models, including their principal underlying assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions; The updated Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site, following the structure of Chapter 4.0. No conclusions or recommendations are given in this report. Rather, it is a compilation of information on the Hanford Site environment that can be utilized directly by Site contractors. This information can also be used by any interested individual seeking baseline data on the Hanford Site and its past activities by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, C.E.; Baker, D.A.; Chamness, M.A.

1994-08-01

This sixth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Chapter 4.0 summarizes up-to-date information on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. More detailed data are available from reference sources cited or from the authors; Chapter 5.0 has been significantly updated from the fifth revision. It describes models, including their principal underlying assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions; The updated Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site, following the structure of Chapter 4.0. No conclusions or recommendations are given in this report. Rather, it is a compilation of information on the Hanford Site environment that can be utilized directly by Site contractors. This information can also be used by any interested individual seeking baseline data on the Hanford Site and its past activities by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts

Progress on the Hanford K basins spent nuclear fuel project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Culley, G.E.; Fulton, J.C.; Gerber, E.W.

1996-01-01

This paper highlights progress made during the last year toward removing the Department of Energy's (DOE) approximately, 2,100 metric tons of metallic spent nuclear fuel from the two outdated K Basins at the Hanford Site and placing it in safe, economical interim dry storage. In the past year, the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project has engaged in an evolutionary process involving the customer, regulatory bodies, and the public that has resulted in a quicker, cheaper, and safer strategy for accomplishing that goal. Development and implementation of the Integrated Process Strategy for K Basins Fuel is as much a case study of modern project and business management within the regulatory system as it is a technical achievement. A year ago, the SNF Project developed the K Basins Path Forward that, beginning in December 1998, would move the spent nuclear fuel currently stored in the K Basins to a new Staging and Storage Facility by December 2000. The second stage of this $960 million two-stage plan would complete the project by conditioning the metallic fuel and placing it in interim dry storage by 2006. In accepting this plan, the DOE established goals that the fuel removal schedule be accelerated by a year, that fuel conditioning be closely coupled with fuel removal, and that the cost be reduced by at least $300 million. The SNF Project conducted coordinated engineering and technology studies over a three-month period that established the technical framework needed to design and construct facilities, and implement processes compatible with these goals. The result was the Integrated Process Strategy for K Basins Fuel. This strategy accomplishes the goals set forth by the DOE by beginning fuel removal a year earlier in December 1997, completing it by December 1999, beginning conditioning within six months of starting fuel removal, and accomplishes it for $340 million less than the previous Path Forward plan

Hanford Site air operating permit application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-05-01

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which amended the Federal Clean Air Act of 1977, required that the US Environmental Protection Agency develop a national Air Operating Permit Program, which in turn would require each state to develop an Air Operating Permit Program to identify all sources of ``regulated`` pollutants. Regulated pollutants include ``criteria`` pollutants (oxides of nitrogen, sulfur oxides, total suspended particulates, carbon monoxide, particulate matter greater than 10 micron, lead) plus 189 other ``Hazardous`` Air Pollutants. The Hanford Site, owned by the US Government and operated by the US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, is located in southcentral Washington State and covers 560 square miles of semi-arid shrub and grasslands located just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. This land, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas historically used for the production of nuclear materials, waste storage, and waste disposal. About 6 percent of the land area has been disturbed and is actively used. The Hanford Site Air Operating Permit Application consists of more than 1,100 sources and in excess of 300 emission points. Before January 1995, the maintenance and operations contractor and the environmental restoration contractor for the US Department of Energy completed an air emission inventory on the Hanford Site. The inventory has been entered into a database so that the sources and emission points can be tracked and updated information readily can be retrieved. The Hanford Site Air Operating Permit Application contains information current as of April 19, 1995.

Hanford Site air operating permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, which amended the Federal Clean Air Act of 1977, required that the US Environmental Protection Agency develop a national Air Operating Permit Program, which in turn would require each state to develop an Air Operating Permit Program to identify all sources of ''regulated'' pollutants. Regulated pollutants include ''criteria'' pollutants (oxides of nitrogen, sulfur oxides, total suspended particulates, carbon monoxide, particulate matter greater than 10 micron, lead) plus 189 other ''Hazardous'' Air Pollutants. The Hanford Site, owned by the US Government and operated by the US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, is located in southcentral Washington State and covers 560 square miles of semi-arid shrub and grasslands located just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. This land, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas historically used for the production of nuclear materials, waste storage, and waste disposal. About 6 percent of the land area has been disturbed and is actively used. The Hanford Site Air Operating Permit Application consists of more than 1,100 sources and in excess of 300 emission points. Before January 1995, the maintenance and operations contractor and the environmental restoration contractor for the US Department of Energy completed an air emission inventory on the Hanford Site. The inventory has been entered into a database so that the sources and emission points can be tracked and updated information readily can be retrieved. The Hanford Site Air Operating Permit Application contains information current as of April 19, 1995

1997 annual report on waste generation and waste minimization progress as required by DOE Order 5400.1, Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Segall, P.

1998-01-01

Hanford's missions are to safely clean up and manage the site's legacy wastes, and to develop and deploy science and technology. Through these missions Hanford will contribute to economic diversification of the region. Hanford's environmental management or cleanup mission is to protect the health and safety of the public, workers, and the environment; control hazardous materials; and utilize the assets (people, infra structure, site) for other missions. Hanford's science and technology mission is to develop and deploy science and technology in the service of the nation including stewardship of the Hanford Site. Pollution Prevention is a key to the success of these missions by reducing the amount of waste to be managed and identifying/implementing cost effective waste reduction projects. Hanford's original mission, the production of nuclear materials for the nation's defense programs, lasted more than 40 years, and like most manufacturing operations, Hanford's operations generated large quantities of waste and pollution. However, the by-products from Hanford operations pose unique problems like radiation hazards, vast volumes of contaminated water and soil, and many contaminated structures including reactors, chemical plants and evaporation ponds. The cleanup activity is an immense and challenging undertaking, which includes characterization and decommissioning of 149 single shell storage tanks, treating 28 double shell tanks, safely disposing of over 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel stored on site, removing numerous structures, and dealing with significant solid waste, ground water, and land restoration issues

Long-Term Stewardship At DOE's Hanford Site - 12575

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moren, R.J.; Grindstaff, K.D.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site is located in southeast Washington and consists of 1,518 square kilometers (586 square miles) of land. Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford workers produced plutonium for our nation's nuclear defense program until the mid 1980's. Since then, the site has been in cleanup mode that is being accomplished in phases. As we achieve remedial objectives and complete active cleanup, DOE will manage Hanford land under the Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) Program until completion of cleanup and the site becomes ready for transfer to the post cleanup landlord - currently planned for DOE's Office of Legacy Management (LM). We define Hanford's LTS Program in the ''Hanford Long-Term Stewardship Program Plan,'' (DOE/RL-201 0-35)(1), which describes the scope including the relationship between the cleanup projects and the LTS Program. DOE designed the LTS Program to manage and provide surveillance and maintenance (S and M) of institutional controls and associated monitoring of closed waste sites to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. DOE's Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and Hanford cleanup and operations contractors collaboratively developed this program over several years. The program's scope also includes 15 key activities that are identified in the DOE Program Plan (DOE/RL-2010-35). The LTS Program will transition 14 land segments through 2016. The combined land mass is approximately 570 square kilometers (220 square miles), with over 1,300 active and inactive waste sites and 3,363 wells. Land segments vary from buffer zone property with no known contamination to cocooned reactor buildings, demolished support facilities, and remediated cribs and trenches. DOE-RL will transition land management responsibilities from cleanup contractors to the Mission Support Contract (MSC), who will then administer the LTS Program for DOE-RL. This process requires an environment of cooperation

Progress and challenges in cleaning up Hanford

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagoner, J.D. [Dept. of Energy, Richland, WA (United States)

1997-08-01

This paper presents captioned viewgraphs which briefly summarize cleanup efforts at the Hanford Site. Underground waste tank and spent nuclear fuel issues are described. Progress is reported for the Plutonium Finishing Plant, PUREX plant, B-Plant/Waste Encapsulation Storage Facility, and Fast Flux Test Facility. A very brief overview of costs and number of sites remediated and/or decommissioned is given.

Storage of non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, A.B.

1998-01-01

In 1992, the US Department of Energy (DOE) established a program at the Hanford Site for management of DOE-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF) until final disposition. Currently, the DOE-owned SNF Program is developing and implementing plans to assure existing storage, achieve interim storage, and prepare DOE-owned SNF for final disposition. Program requirements for management of the SNF are delineated in the DOE-owned SNF Program Plan.(DOE 1995a) and the DOE Spent Fuel Program's Requirements Document (DOE 1994a). Major program requirements are driven by the following: commitments established in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 94-1 Implementation Plan (DOE 1995b); corrective action plans for resolving vulnerabilities identified in the DOE Spent Fuel Working Group's Report on Health, Safety, and Environmental Vulnerabilities for Reactor Irradiated Nuclear Materials (DOE 1993); the settlement agreement between the US Department of Navy, the US Department of Energy, and the State of Idaho on the record of decision (ROD) from the DOE Programmatic SNF Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Environmental Impact Statement (DOE Programmatic SNF EIS) (Idaho, 1995)

National Register of Historic Places multiple property documentation form -- Historic, archaeological, and traditional cultural properties of the Hanford Site, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nickens, P.R.

1997-08-01

The US Department of Energy`s Hanford Site encompasses an area of 560 square miles on the Columbia River in southeastern Washington. Since 1943, the Hanford Site has existed as a protected area for activities primarily related to the production of radioactive materials for national defense uses. For cultural resources on the Hanford Site, establishment of the nuclear reservation as a high security area, with public access restricted, has resulted in a well-protected status, although no deliberate resource protection measures were in effect to mitigate effects of facilities construction and associated activities. Thus, the Hanford Site contains an extensive record of aboriginal archaeological sites and Native American cultural properties, along with pre-Hanford Euro-American sites (primarily archaeological in nature with the removal of most pre-1943 structures), and a considerable number of Manhattan Project/Cold War era buildings and structures. The recent mission change from production to clean up and disposal of DOE lands created a critical need for development and implementation of new and different cultural resource management strategies. DOE-RL has undertaken a preservation planning effort for the Hanford Site. The intent of this Plan is to enable DOE-RL to organize data and develop goals, objectives, and priorities for the identification, evaluation, registration, protection, preservation, and enhancement of the Site`s historical and cultural properties. Decisions made about the identification, evaluation, registration and treatment of historic properties are most aptly made when relationships between individual properties and other similar properties are considered. The historic context and the multiple property documentation (NTD) process provides DOE-RL the organizational framework for these decisions. Once significant patterns are identified, contexts developed, and expected properties are defined, the NTD process provides the foundation for future

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program description for high-level waste form development and qualification. Revision 3, Part 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-08-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Project has been established to convert the high-level radioactive waste associated with nuclear defense production at the Hanford Site into a waste form suitable for disposal in a deep geologic repository. The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant will mix processed radioactive waste with borosilicate material, then heat the mixture to its melting point (vitrification) to forin a glass-like substance that traps the radionuclides in the glass matrix upon cooling. The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program has been established to support the mission of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant. This Quality Assurance Program Description has been written to document the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Quality Assurance Program.

Hanford wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamness, M.A.; Merz, J.K.

1993-08-01

Records describing wells located on or near the Hanford Site have been maintained by Pacific Northwest Laboratory and the operating contractor, Westinghouse Hanford Company. In support of the Ground-Water Surveillance Project, portions of the data contained in these records have been compiled into the following report, which is intended to be used by those needing a condensed, tabular summary of well location and basic construction information. The wells listed in this report were constructed over a period of time spanning almost 70 years. Data included in this report were retrieved from the Hanford Envirorunental Information System (HEIS) database and supplemented with information not yet entered into HEIS. While considerable effort has been made to obtain the most accurate and complete tabulations possible of the Hanford Site wells, omissions and errors may exist. This document does not include data on lithologic logs, ground-water analyses, or specific well completion details

HANFORD SITE CENTRAL PLATEAU CLEANUP COMPLETION STRATEGY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergman, T.B.

2011-01-01

Cleanup of the Hanford Site is a complex and challenging undertaking. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has developed a comprehensive vision for completing Hanford's cleanup mission including transition to post-cleanup activities. This vision includes 3 principle components of cleanup: the ∼200 square miles ofland adjacent to the Columbia River, known as the River Corridor; the 75 square miles of land in the center of the Hanford Site, where the majority of the reprocessing and waste management activities have occurred, known as the Central Plateau; and the stored reprocessing wastes in the Central Plateau, the Tank Wastes. Cleanup of the River Corridor is well underway and is progressing towards completion of most cleanup actions by 2015. Tank waste cleanup is progressing on a longer schedule due to the complexity of the mission, with construction of the largest nuclear construction project in the United States, the Waste Treatment Plant, over 50% complete. With the progress on the River Corridor and Tank Waste, it is time to place increased emphasis on moving forward with cleanup of the Central Plateau. Cleanup of the Hanford Site has been proceeding under a framework defmed in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement). In early 2009, the DOE, the State of Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an Agreement in Principle in which the parties recognized the need to develop a more comprehensive strategy for cleanup of the Central Plateau. DOE agreed to develop a Central Plateau Cleanup Completion Strategy as a starting point for discussions. This DOE Strategy was the basis for negotiations between the Parties, discussions with the State of Oregon, the Hanford Advisory Board, and other Stakeholder groups (including open public meetings), and consultation with the Tribal Nations. The change packages to incorporate the Central Plateau Cleanup Completion Strategy were signed by the

Hanford waste tank cone penetrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seda, R.Y.

1995-12-01

A new tool is being developed to characterize tank waste at the Hanford Reservation. This tool, known as the cone penetrometer, is capable of obtaining chemical and physical properties in situ. For the past 50 years, this tool has been used extensively in soil applications and now has been modified for usage in Hanford Underground Storage tanks. These modifications include development of new ''waste'' data models as well as hardware design changes to accommodate the hazardous and radioactive environment of the tanks. The modified cone penetrometer is scheduled to be deployed at Hanford by Fall 1996. At Hanford, the cone penetrometer will be used as an instrumented pipe which measures chemical and physical properties as it pushes through tank waste. Physical data, such as tank waste stratification and mechanical properties, is obtained through three sensors measuring tip pressure, sleeve friction and pore pressure. Chemical data, such as chemical speciation, is measured using a Raman spectroscopy sensor. The sensor package contains other instrumentation as well, including a tip and side temperature sensor, tank bottom detection and an inclinometer. Once the cone penetrometer has reached the bottom of the tank, a moisture probe will be inserted into the pipe. This probe is used to measure waste moisture content, water level, waste surface moisture and tank temperature. This paper discusses the development of this new measurement system. Data from the cone penetrometer will aid in the selection of sampling tools, waste tank retrieval process, and addressing various tank safety issues. This paper will explore various waste models as well as the challenges associated with tank environment

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hathaway, H.B.; Daly, K.S.; Rinne, C.A.; Seiler, S.W.

1993-05-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (HSDP) provides an overview of land use, infrastructure, and facility requirements to support US Department of Energy (DOE) programs at the Hanford Site. The HSDP's primary purpose is to inform senior managers and interested parties of development activities and issues that require a commitment of resources to support the Hanford Site. The HSDP provides an existing and future land use plan for the Hanford Site. The HSDP is updated annually in accordance with DOE Order 4320.1B, Site Development Planning, to reflect the mission and overall site development process. Further details about Hanford Site development are defined in individual area development plans

Hanford double shell tank corrosion monitoring instrument trees

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.L.

1995-03-01

High-level nuclear wastes at the Hanford site are stored underground in carbon steel double-shell and single-shell tanks - (DSTs and SSTS). Westinghouse Hanford Company is considering installation of a prototype corrosion monitoring instrument tree in at least one DST in the summer of 1995. The instrument tree will have the ability to detect and discriminate between uniform corrosion, stress corrosion cracking (SCC), and pitting. Additional instrument trees will follow in later years. Proof-of-technology testing is currently underway for the use of commercially available electric field pattern (EFP) analysis and electrochemical noise (EN) corrosion monitoring equipment. Creative use and combinations of other existing technologies is also being considered. Successful demonstration of these technologies will be followed by the development of a Hanford specific instrument tree. The first instrument tree will incorporate one of these technologies. Subsequent trees may include both technologies, as well as a more standard assembly of corrosion coupons. Successful development of these trees will allow their application to single shell tanks and the transfer of technology to other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites

Hanford science and technology needs statements, 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BERLIN, G.T.

1999-01-01

This document: (a) provides a comprehensive listing of the Hanford sites science and technology needs for fiscal year (FY) 2000; and (b) identifies partnering and commercialization opportunities within industry, other federal and state agencies, and the academic community. These needs were prepared by the Hanford projects (within the Project Hanford Management Contract and the Environmental Restoration Contract) and subsequently reviewed and endorsed by the Hanford Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG). The STCG reviews included participation of DOE-RL Management, site stakeholders, state and federal regulators, and Tribal Nations. The Science and Technology Needs Document is organized by major problem areas and coincides with the STCG subgroups which are as follows: Deactivation and Decommissioning, Mixed Waste, Subsurface Contaminants, High Level Waste Tanks, and Spent Nuclear Fuel. Each problem area begins with a technology needs index table. This table is followed by detailed descriptions of each technology need, including a problem statement and current baseline information associated with that need. Following the technology need description for each problem area is a table listing the science needs, followed by detailed descriptions of the functional need and the problem to be solved as currently understood. Finally, a crosswalk table is provided at the end of each problem area which ties together last years needs and this years needs, provides brief justification for elimination of any needs, and identifies any other significant changes which took place during the revision process

Hanford Environmental Analytical Methods (methods as of March 1990)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goheen, S.C.; McCulloch, M.; Daniel, J.L.

1993-05-01

Techniques in use at the Hanford Reservation as of March, 1990 for the analysis of liquids, organic wastes, soils, and sediments, are described. Limitations and applications of the techniques are included

High performance gamma measurements of equipment retrieved from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Troyer, G.L.

1997-01-01

The cleanup of high level defense nuclear waste at the Hanford site presents several progressive challenges. Among these is the removal and disposal of various components from buried active waste tanks to allow new equipment insertion or hazards mitigation. A unique automated retrieval system at the tank provides for retrieval, high pressure washing, inventory measurement, and containment for disposal. Key to the inventory measurement is a three detector HPGe high performance gamma spectroscopy system capable of recovering data at up to 90% saturation (200,000 counts per second). Data recovery is based on a unique embedded electronic pulser and specialized software to report the inventory. Each of the detectors have different shielding specified through Monte Carlo simulation with the MCNP program. This shielding provides performance over a dynamic range of eight orders of magnitude. System description, calibration issues and operational experiences are discussed

High performance gamma measurements of equipment retrieved from Hanford high-level nuclear waste tanks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Troyer, G.L.

1997-03-17

The cleanup of high level defense nuclear waste at the Hanford site presents several progressive challenges. Among these is the removal and disposal of various components from buried active waste tanks to allow new equipment insertion or hazards mitigation. A unique automated retrieval system at the tank provides for retrieval, high pressure washing, inventory measurement, and containment for disposal. Key to the inventory measurement is a three detector HPGe high performance gamma spectroscopy system capable of recovering data at up to 90% saturation (200,000 counts per second). Data recovery is based on a unique embedded electronic pulser and specialized software to report the inventory. Each of the detectors have different shielding specified through Monte Carlo simulation with the MCNP program. This shielding provides performance over a dynamic range of eight orders of magnitude. System description, calibration issues and operational experiences are discussed.

On the home front: The cold war legacy of the Hanford nuclear site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stenehjem Gerber, M.

1992-01-01

The Hanford plutonium factory in Washington State is among the oldest and largest relics of the Cold War and is also among the dirtiest. In this book, the author states that the release of radiaoactive and toxic waste without public knowledge poses fundamental questions about American democracy. No conclusive answers to the problems at Hanford are presented, although the important questions are addressed. The reviewer feels the book may be of use as a reference catalog, within its context as a piece essentially concerned with public relations

Hanford Site Cleanup Challenges and Opportunities for Science and Technology--A Strategic Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, Thomas W.; Johnson, Wayne L.; Kreid, Dennis K.; Walton, Terry L.

2001-02-01

The sheer expanse of the Hanford Site, the inherent hazards associated with the significant inventory of nuclear materials and wastes, the large number of aging contaminated facilities, the diverse nature and extent of environmental contamination, and the proximity to the Columbia River make Hanford perhaps the world's largest and most complex environmental cleanup project. It is not possible to address the more complex elements of this enormous challenge in a cost-effective manner without strategic investments in science and technology. Success requires vigorous and sustained efforts to enhance the science and technology basis, develop and deploy innovative solutions, and provide firm scientific bases to support site cleanup and closure decisions at Hanford.

Hanford Site Cleanup Challenges and Opportunities for Science and Technology--A Strategic Assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, Thomas W.; Johnson, Wayne L.; Kreid, Dennis K.; Walton, Terry L.

2001-01-01

The sheer expanse of the Hanford Site, the inherent hazards associated with the significant inventory of nuclear materials and wastes, the large number of aging contaminated facilities, the diverse nature and extent of environmental contamination, and the proximity to the Columbia River make Hanford perhaps the world's largest and most complex environmental cleanup project. It is not possible to address the more complex elements of this enormous challenge in a cost-effective manner without strategic investments in science and technology. Success requires vigorous and sustained efforts to enhance the science and technology basis, develop and deploy innovative solutions, and provide firm scientific bases to support site cleanup and closure decisions at Hanford

RCRA permitting strategies for the development of innovative technologies: Lessons from Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajewski, S.W.; Donaghue, J.F.

1994-01-01

The Hanford Site restoration is the largest waste cleanup operation in history. The Hanford plutonium production mission generated two-thirds of all the nuclear waste, by volume, in the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. Cleanup challenges include not only large stored volumes of radioactive, hazardous, and mixed waste, but contaminated soil and groundwater and scores of major structures slated for decontamination, decommissioning, and demolition. DOE and its contractors will need to invent the technology required to do the job on a timetable driven by negotiated milestones, public concerns, and budgetary constraints. This paper will discuss the effort at Hanford to develop an integrated, streamlined strategy for compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) in the conduct of research, development, and demonstration (RD ampersand D) of innovative cleanup technologies. The aspects that will be discussed include the following: the genesis of the RD ampersand D permitting challenge at Hanford; permitting options in the existing regulatory framework; regulatory options that offered the best fit for Hanford RD ampersand D activities, and the problems associated with them; and conclusions and recommendations made to regulatory bodies

Fluor Hanford ALARA Center is a D and D Resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waggoner, L.O.

2008-01-01

The mission at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation changed when the last reactor plant was shut down in 1989 and work was started to place all the facilities in a safe condition and begin decontamination, deactivation, decommissioning, and demolition (D and D). These facilities consisted of old shutdown reactor plants, spent fuel pools, processing facilities, and 177 underground tanks containing 53 million gallons of highly radioactive and toxic liquids and sludge. New skills were needed by the workforce to accomplish this mission. By 1995, workers were in the process of getting the facilities in a safe condition and it became obvious improvements were needed in their tools, equipment and work practices. The Hanford ALARA Program looked good on paper, but did little to help contractors that were working in the field. The Radiological Control Director decided that the ALARA program needed to be upgraded and a significant improvement could be made if workers had a place they could visit that had samples of the latest technology and could talk to experienced personnel who have had success doing D and D work. Two senior health physics personnel who had many years experience in doing radiological work were chosen to obtain tools and equipment from vendors and find a location centrally located on the Hanford site. Vendors were asked to loan their latest tools and equipment for display. Most vendors responded and the Hanford ALARA Center of Technology opened on October 1, 1996. Today, the ALARA Center includes a classroom for conducting training and a mockup area with gloveboxes. Two large rooms have a containment tent, several glove bags, samples of fixatives/expandable foam, coating displays, protective clothing, heat stress technology, cutting tools, HEPA filtered vacuums, ventilation units, pumps, hydraulic wrenches, communications equipment, shears, nibblers, shrouded tooling, and several examples of innovative tools developed by the Hanford facilities. See Figures I and

Modifying the rheological properties of melter feed for the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blair, H.T.; McMakin, A.H.

1986-03-01

Selected high-level nuclear wastes from the Hanford Site may be vitrified in the future Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) by Rockwell Hanford Company, the contractor responsible for reprocessing and waste management at the Hanford Site. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), is responsible for providing technical support for the HWVP. In this capacity, PNL performed rheological evaluations of simulated HWVP feed in order to determine which processing factors could be modified to best optimize the vitrification process. To accomplish this goal, a simulated HWVP feed was first created and characterized. Researchers then evaluated how the chemical and physical form of the glass-forming additives affected the rheological properties and melting behavior of melter feed prepared with the simulated HWVP feed. The effects of adding formic acid to the waste were also evaluated. Finally, the maximum melter feed concentration with acceptable rheological properties was determined

Selection of heat disposal methods for a Hanford Nuclear Energy Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, J.R.; Kannberg, L.D.; Ramsdell, J.V.; Rickard, W.H.; Watson, D.G.

1976-06-01

Selection of the best method for disposal of the waste heat from a large power generation center requires a comprehensive comparison of the costs and environmental effects. The objective is to identify the heat dissipation method with the minimum total economic and environmental cost. A 20 reactor HNEC will dissipate about 50,000 MWt of waste heat; a 40 reactor HNEC would release about 100,000 MWt. This is a much larger discharge of heat than has occurred from other concentrated industrial facilities and consequently a special analysis is required to determine the permissibility of such a large heat disposal and the best methods of disposal. It is possible that some methods of disposal will not be permissible because of excessive environmental effects or that the optimum disposal method may include a combination of several methods. A preliminary analysis is presented of the Hanford Nuclear Energy Center heat disposal problem to determine the best methods for disposal and any obvious limitations on the amount of heat that can be released. The analysis is based, in part, on information from an interim conceptual study, a heat sink management analysis, and a meteorological analysis

Tank farm nuclear criticality review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bratzel, D.R.

1996-01-01

The technical basis for the nuclear criticality safety of stored wastes at the Hanford Site Tank Farm Complex was reviewed by a team of senior technical personnel whose expertise covered all appropriate aspects of fissile materials chemistry and physics. The team concluded that the detailed and documented nucleonics-related studies underlying the waste tanks criticality safety basis were sound. The team concluded that, under current plutonium inventories and operating conditions, a nuclear criticality accident is incredible in any of the Hanford single-shell tanks (SST), double-shell tanks (DST), or double-contained receiver tanks (DCRTS) on the Hanford Site

Reengineering Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badalamente, R.V.; Carson, M.L.; Rhoads, R.E.

1995-03-01

The Department of Energy Richland Operations Office is in the process of reengineering its Hanford Site operations. There is a need to fundamentally rethink and redesign environmental restoration and waste management processes to achieve dramatic improvements in the quality, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of the environmental services and products that make cleanup possible. Hanford is facing the challenge of reengineering in a complex environment in which major processes cuts across multiple government and contractor organizations and a variety of stakeholders and regulators have a great influence on cleanup activities. By doing the upfront work necessary to allow effective reengineering, Hanford is increasing the probability of its success

Reengineering Hanford

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badalamente, R.V.; Carson, M.L.; Rhoads, R.E.

1995-03-01

The Department of Energy Richland Operations Office is in the process of reengineering its Hanford Site operations. There is a need to fundamentally rethink and redesign environmental restoration and waste management processes to achieve dramatic improvements in the quality, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of the environmental services and products that make cleanup possible. Hanford is facing the challenge of reengineering in a complex environment in which major processes cuts across multiple government and contractor organizations and a variety of stakeholders and regulators have a great influence on cleanup activities. By doing the upfront work necessary to allow effective reengineering, Hanford is increasing the probability of its success.

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hathaway, H.B.; Daly, K.S.; Rinne, C.A.; Seiler, S.W.

1992-05-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (HSDP) provides an overview of land use, infrastructure, and facility requirements to support US Department of Energy (DOE) programs at the Hanford Site. The HSDP's primary purpose is to inform senior managers and interested parties of development activities and issues that require a commitment of resources to support the Hanford Site. The HSDP provides a land use plan for the Hanford Site and presents a picture of what is currently known and anticipated in accordance with DOE Order 4320.1B. Site Development Planning. The HSDP wig be updated annually as future decisions further shape the mission and overall site development process. Further details about Hanford Site development are defined in individual area development plans

Preliminary Hanford technical input for the Department of Energy programmatic spent nuclear fuel management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory environmental restoration and waste management programs environmental impact statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergsman, K.H.

1995-03-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is currently evaluating its programmatic options for the safe management of its diverse spent nuclear fuel (SNF) inventory in the Department of Energy Programmatic Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Programs Environmental Impact Statement (SNF and INEL EIS). In the SNF and INEL EIS, the DOE is assessing five alternatives for SNF management, which consider at which of the DOE sites each of the various SNF types should be managed until ultimate disposition. The range of SNF inventories considered for management at the Hanford Site in the SNF and INEL EIS include the current Hanford Site inventory, only the current Hanford Site defense production SNF inventory, the DOE complex-wide SNF inventory, or none at all. Site-specific SNF management decisions will be evaluated in separate National Environmental Policy Act evaluations. Appendixes A and B include information on (1) additional facilities required to accommodate inventories of SNF within each management alternative, (2) existing and new SNF management facility descriptions, (3) facility costs for construction and operation, (4) facility workforce requirements for construction and operation, and (5) facility discharges. The information was extrapolated from existing analyses to the extent possible. New facility costs, manpower requirements, and similar information are based on rough-order-of-magnitude estimates

Draft site characterization analysis of the site characterization report for the Basalt Waste Isolation Project, Hanford, Washington Site. Main report and Appendices A through D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-03-01

On November 12, 1982, the US Department of Energy submitted to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission the Site Characterization Report for the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (DOE/RL 82-3). The Basalt Waste Isolation Project is located on DOE's Hanford Reservation in the State of Washington. NUREG-0960 contains the detailed analysis, by the NRC staff, of the site characterization report. Supporting technical material is contained in Appendices A through W

Glass forms for immobilization of Hanford wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulz, W.W.; Dressen, A.L.; Hobbick, C.W.; Babad, H.

1975-03-01

Approximately 140 million liters of solid salt cake (mainly NaNO 3 ), produced by evaporation of aged alkaline high-level liquid wastes, will be stored in underground tanks when the present Hanford Waste Management Program is completed in the early 1980's. At this time also, large volumes of various other solid radioactive wastes (sludges, excavated Pu-contaminated soil, and doubly encapsulated 137 CsCl and 90 SrF 2 ) will be stored on the Hanford Reservation. All these solid wastes can be converted to immobile silicate and aluminosilicate glasses of low water leachability by melting them at 1100 0 to 1400 0 C with appropriate amounts of basalt (or sand) and other glass-formers such as B 2 O 3 or CaO. Reviewed in this paper are formulations and other melt conditions used successfully in batch tests to make glasses from actual and synthetic wastes; leachability and other properties of these glasses show them to be satisfactory vehicles for immobilization of the Hanford wastes. (U.S.)

Hanford immobilized low-activity tank waste performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mann, F.M.

1998-01-01

The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-level fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the by-product of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste has been stored in underground single and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low and high-activity fractions, and then immobilized by private vendors. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will receive the vitrified waste from private vendors and plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at Hanford until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to issue a Disposal Authorization Statement that would allow the modification of the four existing concrete disposal vaults to provide better access for emplacement of the immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) containers; filling of the modified vaults with the approximately 5,000 ILAW containers and filler material with the intent to dispose of the containers; construction of the first set of next-generation disposal facilities. The performance assessment activity will continue beyond this assessment. The activity will collect additional data on the geotechnical features of the disposal sites, the disposal facility design and construction, and the long-term performance of the waste. Better estimates of long-term performance will be produced and reviewed on a regular basis. Performance assessments supporting closure of filled facilities will be issued seeking approval of those actions necessary to conclude active disposal facility operations. This report also analyzes the long-term performance of the currently planned disposal system as a basis

Hanford immobilized low-activity tank waste performance assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mann, F.M.

1998-03-26

The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Tank Waste Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-level fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the by-product of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste has been stored in underground single and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low and high-activity fractions, and then immobilized by private vendors. The US Department of Energy (DOE) will receive the vitrified waste from private vendors and plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at Hanford until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to issue a Disposal Authorization Statement that would allow the modification of the four existing concrete disposal vaults to provide better access for emplacement of the immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW) containers; filling of the modified vaults with the approximately 5,000 ILAW containers and filler material with the intent to dispose of the containers; construction of the first set of next-generation disposal facilities. The performance assessment activity will continue beyond this assessment. The activity will collect additional data on the geotechnical features of the disposal sites, the disposal facility design and construction, and the long-term performance of the waste. Better estimates of long-term performance will be produced and reviewed on a regular basis. Performance assessments supporting closure of filled facilities will be issued seeking approval of those actions necessary to conclude active disposal facility operations. This report also analyzes the long-term performance of the currently planned disposal system as a basis

DEWATERING TREATMENT SCALE-UP TESTING RESULTS OF HANFORD TANK WASTES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TEDESCHI AR

2008-01-01

This report documents CH2M HILL Hanford Group Inc. (CH2M HILL) 2007 dryer testing results in Richland, WA at the AMEC Nuclear Ltd., GeoMelt Division (AMEC) Horn Rapids Test Site. It provides a discussion of scope and results to qualify the dryer system as a viable unit-operation in the continuing evaluation of the bulk vitrification process. A 10,000 liter (L) dryer/mixer was tested for supplemental treatment of Hanford tank low-activity wastes, drying and mixing a simulated non-radioactive salt solution with glass forming minerals. Testing validated the full scale equipment for producing dried product similar to smaller scale tests, and qualified the dryer system for a subsequent integrated dryer/vitrification test using the same simulant and glass formers. The dryer system is planned for installation at the Hanford tank farms to dry/mix radioactive waste for final treatment evaluation of the supplemental bulk vitrification process

Using public relations strategies to prompt populations at risk to seek health information: the Hanford Community Health Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Gregory D; Smith, Stephen M; Turcotte, Joseph A

2009-01-01

The Hanford Community Health Project (HCHP) addressed health concerns among "downwinders" exposed to releases of radioactive iodine (I-131) from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in the 1940s and 1950s. After developing educational materials and conducting initial outreach, HCHP had to decide whether to apply its limited resources to an advertising or public relations approach. The decision to apply public relations strategies was effective in driving awareness of the risk communication message at the community level, reinvigorating the affected community, and ultimately increasing the number of people who sought information about their risk of exposure and related health issues. HCHP used a series of communication tools to reach out to local and regional media, medical and health professionals, and community organizations. The campaign was successful in increasing the number of unique visitors to HCHP Web site and educating and activating the medical community around the releases of I-131 and patient care choices.

Hanford environmental analytical methods (methods as of March 1990)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goheen, S.C.; McCulloch, M.; Daniel, J.L.

1993-05-01

Techniques in use at the Hanford Reservation as of March, 1990 for the analysis of liquids and radioactive effluents are described. Limitations and applications of the techniques are included. This report is Appendix A3-R

Draft environmental assessment for characterization of the Hanford Site pursuant to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (Public Law 97-425), Hanford Site, Richland, Benton County, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-02-01

The Hanford Site is evaluated in this draft environmental assessment. The results of this evaluation are the basis for nominating the Hanford Site for site characterization leading to selection of the first repository site. The major conclusions are presented. 120 refs., 26 figs., 8 tabs

Computational model design specification for Phase 1 of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Napier, B.A.

1991-07-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of emission from nuclear operations at Hanford since their inception in 1944. The purpose of this report is to outline the basic algorithm and necessary computer calculations to be used to calculate radiation doses specific and hypothetical individuals in the vicinity of Hanford. The system design requirements, those things that must be accomplished, are defined. The system design specifications, the techniques by which those requirements are met, are outlined. Included are the basic equations, logic diagrams, and preliminary definition of the nature of each input distribution. 4 refs., 10 figs., 9 tabs.

Computational model design specification for Phase 1 of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.

1991-07-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of emission from nuclear operations at Hanford since their inception in 1944. The purpose of this report is to outline the basic algorithm and necessary computer calculations to be used to calculate radiation doses specific and hypothetical individuals in the vicinity of Hanford. The system design requirements, those things that must be accomplished, are defined. The system design specifications, the techniques by which those requirements are met, are outlined. Included are the basic equations, logic diagrams, and preliminary definition of the nature of each input distribution. 4 refs., 10 figs., 9 tabs

In situ characterization of Hanford K Basins fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pitner, A.L.

1998-01-06

Irradiated N Reactor uranium metal fuel is stored underwater in the Hanford K East and K West Basins. In K East Basin, fuel is stored in open canisters and defected fuel is free to react with the basin water. In K West Basin, the fuel is stored in sealed canisters filled with water containing a corrosion inhibitor (potassium nitrite). To gain a better understanding of the physical condition of the fuel in these basins, visual surveys using high resolution underwater cameras were conducted. The inspections included detailed lift and look examinations of a number of fuel assemblies from selected canisters in each basin. These examinations formed the bases for selecting specific fuel elements for laboratory testing and analyses as prescribed in the characterization plan for Hanford K Basin Spent Nuclear Fuel.

Hanford's Public Tour Program - An Excellent Educational Tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinclair, K.M.

2010-01-01

Prior to 2001, the Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored limited tours of the Hanford Site for the public, but discontinued the program after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. In 2003, DOE's Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) requested the site's prime contractor to reinstate the public tour program starting in 2004 under strict controls and security requirements. The planning involved a collaborative effort among the security, safety and communications departments of DOE-RL and the site's contracting companies. This paper describes the evolution of, and enhancements to, Hanford's public tours, including the addition of a separate tour program for the B Reactor, the first full-scale nuclear reactor in the world. Topics included in the discussion include the history and growth of the tour program, associated costs, and visitor surveys and assessments.

Hanford contact-handled transuranic drum retrieval project planning document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DEMITER, J.A.

1998-01-01

The Hanford Site is one of several US Department of Energy (DOE) sites throughout the US that has generated and stored transuranic (TRU) wastes. The wastes were primarily placed in 55-gallon drums, stacked in trenches, and covered with soil. In 1970, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ordered that TRU wastes be segregated from other radioactive wastes and placed in retrievable storage until such time that the waste could be sent to a geologic repository and permanently disposed. Retrievable storage also defined container storage life by specifying that a container must be retrievable as a contamination-free container for 20 years. Hanford stored approximately 37,400 TRU containers in 20-year retrievable storage from 1970 to 1988. The Hanford TRU wastes placed in 20-year retrievable storage are considered disposed under existing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations since they were placed in storage prior to September 1988. The majority of containers were 55-gallon drums, but 20-year retrievable storage includes several TRU wastes covered with soil in different storage methods

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project: Overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haerer, H.A.; Freshley, M.D.; Gilbert, R.O.; Morgan, L.G.; Napier, B.A.; Rhoads, R.E.; Woodruff, R.K.

1990-01-01

In 1988, researchers began a multiyear effort to estimate radiation doses that people could have received since 1944 at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. The study was prompted by increasing concern about potential health effects to the public from more than 40 yr of nuclear activities. We will provide an overview of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project and its technical approach. The work has required development of new methods and tools for dealing with unique technical and communication challenges. Scientists are using a probabilistic, rather than the more typical deterministic, approach to generate dose distributions rather than single-point estimates. Uncertainties in input parameters are reflected in dose results. Sensitivity analyses are used to optimize project resources and define the project's scope. An independent technical steering panel directs and approves the work in a public forum. Dose estimates are based on review and analysis of historical data related to operations, effluents, and monitoring; determination of important radionuclides; and reconstruction of source terms, environmental conditions that affected transport, concentrations in environmental media, and human elements, such as population distribution, agricultural practices, food consumption patterns, and lifestyles. A companion paper in this volume, The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project: Technical Approach, describes the computational framework for the work

Hanford Cleanup... Restore the Columbia River Corridor Transition the Central Plateau Prepare and Plan for the End State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klein, Keith A.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State was established during World War II to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project. In 1989, Hanford's mission changed to cleanup and closure; today the site is engaged in one of the world's largest and most aggressive programs to clean up radioactive and hazardous wastes. The size and complexity of Hanford's environmental problems are made even more challenging by the overlapping technical, political, regulatory, financial and cultural issues associated with the cleanup. The physical challenges at the Hanford Site are daunting. More than 50 million gallons of liquid radioactive waste in 177 underground storage tanks; 2,300 tons of spent nuclear fuel;12 tons of plutonium in various forms; 25 million cubic feet of buried or stored solid waste; 270 billion gallons of groundwater contaminated above drinking-water standards spread out over about 80 square miles; more than 1,700 waste sites; and approximately 500 contaminated facilities. With a workforce of approximately 7,000 and a budget of about $1.8 billion dollars this fiscal year, Hanford cleanup operations are expected to be complete by 2035, at a cost of $60 billion dollars. (authors)

Conceptual design analyses for Hanford Site deployable remote spectroscopy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philipp, B.L.; Reich, F.R.

1994-09-01

This document identifies potential remote, NIR spectroscopic waste surface moisture monitoring system design alternatives to be operated inside one of the Hanford Site, high level, nuclear waste storage tanks. Potential tank waste moisture data impacts from the remote NIR signal transfer through high humidity vapor space is evaluated

Hanford general employee training: Computer-based training instructor's manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-10-01

The Computer-Based Training portion of the Hanford General Employee Training course is designed to be used in a classroom setting with a live instructor. Future references to this course'' refer only to the computer-based portion of the whole. This course covers the basic Safety, Security, and Quality issues that pertain to all employees of Westinghouse Hanford Company. The topics that are covered were taken from the recommendations and requirements for General Employee Training as set forth by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) in INPO 87-004, Guidelines for General Employee Training, applicable US Department of Energy orders, and Westinghouse Hanford Company procedures and policy. Besides presenting fundamental concepts, this course also contains information on resources that are available to assist students. It does this using Interactive Videodisk technology, which combines computer-generated text and graphics with audio and video provided by a videodisk player.

Isotopic Tracking of Hanford 300 Area Derived Uranium in the Columbia River

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, John N.; Dresel, P. Evan; Conrad, Mark E.; Patton, Gregory W.; DePaolo, Donald J.

2010-10-31

Our objectives in this study are to quantify the discharge rate of uranium (U) to the Columbia River from the Hanford Site's 300 Area, and to follow that U down river to constrain its fate. Uranium from the Hanford Site has variable isotopic composition due to nuclear industrial processes carried out at the site. This characteristic makes it possible to use high-precision isotopic measurements of U in environmental samples to identify even trace levels of contaminant U, determine its sources, and estimate discharge rates. Our data on river water samples indicate that as much as 3.2 kg/day can enter the Columbia River from the 300 Area, which is only a small fraction of the total load of dissolved natural background U carried by the Columbia River. This very low-level of Hanford derived U can be discerned, despite dilution to < 1 percent of natural background U, 350 km downstream from the Hanford Site. These results indicate that isotopic methods can allow the amounts of U from the 300 Area of the Hanford Site entering the Columbia River to be measured accurately to ascertain whether they are an environmental concern, or are insignificant relative to natural uranium background in the Columbia River.

Concrete structural analysis tools and properties for Hanford site waste tank evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, C.J.; Peterson, W.S.; Winkel, B.V.; Weiner, E.O.

1995-09-01

As Hanford Site Contractors address maintenance and future structural demands on nuclear waste tanks built as early as 1943, it is necessary to address their current safety margins and ensure safe margins are maintained. Although the current civil engineering practice has building codes for reinforced concrete design guidelines, the tanks were not constructed to today's building codes and future demands potentially result in loads and modifications to the tanks that are outside the original design basis and current practice. The Hanford Site engineering staff has embraced nonlinear finite-element modeling of concrete in an effort to obtain a more accurate understanding of the actual tank margins. This document brings together and integrates past Hanford Site nonlinear reinforced concrete analysis methods, past Hanford Site concrete testing, public domain research testing, and current concrete research directions. This document, including future revisions, provides the structural engineering overview (or survey) for a consistent, accurate approach to nonlinear finite-element modeling of reinforced concrete for Hanford Site waste storage tanks. This report addresses concrete strength and modulus degradation with temperature, creep, shrinkage, long-term sustained loads, and temperature degradation of rebar and concrete bonds. Recommendations are given for parameter studies and evaluation techniques for review of nonlinear finite-element analysis of concrete

HANFORD SAFETY ANALYSIS & RISK ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK (SARAH)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

EVANS, C B

2004-12-21

The purpose of the Hanford Safety Analysis and Risk Assessment Handbook (SARAH) is to support the development of safety basis documentation for Hazard Category 2 and 3 (HC-2 and 3) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 830, ''Nuclear Safety Management''. Subpart B, ''Safety Basis Requirements.'' Consistent with DOE-STD-3009-94, Change Notice 2, ''Preparation Guide for U.S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses'' (STD-3009), and DOE-STD-3011-2002, ''Guidance for Preparation of Basis for Interim Operation (BIO) Documents'' (STD-3011), the Hanford SARAH describes methodology for performing a safety analysis leading to development of a Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) and derivation of Technical Safety Requirements (TSR), and provides the information necessary to ensure a consistently rigorous approach that meets DOE expectations. The DSA and TSR documents, together with the DOE-issued Safety Evaluation Report (SER), are the basic components of facility safety basis documentation. For HC-2 or 3 nuclear facilities in long-term surveillance and maintenance (S&M), for decommissioning activities, where source term has been eliminated to the point that only low-level, residual fixed contamination is present, or for environmental remediation activities outside of a facility structure, DOE-STD-1120-98, ''Integration of Environment, Safety, and Health into Facility Disposition Activities'' (STD-1120), may serve as the basis for the DSA. HC-2 and 3 environmental remediation sites also are subject to the hazard analysis methodologies of this standard.

On the nuclear fuel and fossil fuel reserves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fettweis, G.

1978-01-01

A short discussion of the nuclear fuel and fossil fuel reserves and the connected problem of prices evolution is presented. The need to regard fuel production under an economic aspect is emphasized. Data about known and assessed fuel reserves, world-wide and with special consideration of Austria, are reviewed. It is concluded that in view of the fuel reserves situation an energy policy which allows for a maximum of options seems adequate. (G.G.)

Screening the Hanford tanks for trapped gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitney, P.

1995-10-01

The Hanford Site is home to 177 large, underground nuclear waste storage tanks. Hydrogen gas is generated within the waste in these tanks. This document presents the results of a screening of Hanford's nuclear waste storage tanks for the presence of gas trapped in the waste. The method used for the screening is to look for an inverse correlation between waste level measurements and ambient atmospheric pressure. If the waste level in a tank decreases with an increase in ambient atmospheric pressure, then the compressibility may be attributed to gas trapped within the waste. In this report, this methodology is not used to estimate the volume of gas trapped in the waste. The waste level measurements used in this study were made primarily to monitor the tanks for leaks and intrusions. Four measurement devices are widely used in these tanks. Three of these measure the level of the waste surface. The remaining device measures from within a well embedded in the waste, thereby monitoring the liquid level even if the liquid level is below a dry waste crust. In the past, a steady rise in waste level has been taken as an indicator of trapped gas. This indicator is not part of the screening calculation described in this report; however, a possible explanation for the rise is given by the mathematical relation between atmospheric pressure and waste level used to support the screening calculation. The screening was applied to data from each measurement device in each tank. If any of these data for a single tank indicated trapped gas, that tank was flagged by this screening process. A total of 58 of the 177 Hanford tanks were flagged as containing trapped gas, including 21 of the 25 tanks currently on the flammable gas watch list

Recovery and evaluation of historical environmental monitoring data at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, R.L.

1991-01-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from the nuclear operations at the Hanford site since 1944. The Environmental Monitoring Data Task within HEDR is charged with assembling, evaluating, and summarizing key historical measurements of radionuclide concentrations in the environment on and around the Hanford site. The recovery and evaluation of historical environmental monitoring data are integral parts of the environmental dose reconstruction process. The data generated through historical environmental monitoring programs may be critical in the development of dose modeling codes and in performing a meaningful environmental pathway analysis. In addition, environmental monitoring data are essential in the verification of model calculations and in the validation of the model itself. The paper a task logic flowchart illustrating how the process evolves within the Environmental Monitoring Data Task and the interaction with other project tasks. The reconstruction of such data presents numerous challenges, many of which are not generally encountered in typical scientific studies. This paper discusses the process of reconstructing historical environmental monitoring data at Hanford. Several of the difficulties encountered during this process are presented. Items that may be beneficial and should be considered in performing such a task are identified

Historical genesis of Hanford Site wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.S.

1991-01-01

This paper acquaints the audience with historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, and with the generation of the major waste streams of concern in Hanford Site clean-up today. The paper also describes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War 11 construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), and some past suggestions and efforts to chemically treat, open-quotes fractionate,close quotes and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes. Recent events, including the designation of the Hanford Site as the open-quotes flagshipclose quotes of Department of Energy (DOE) waste remediation efforts and the signing of the landmark Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement), have generated new interest in Hanford's history. Clean-up milestones dictated in this agreement demand information about how, when, in what quantities and mixtures, and under what conditions, Hanford Site wastes were generated and released. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. The earliest, 1940s knowledge base, assumptions and calculations about radioactive and chemical discharges, as discussed in the memos, correspondence and reports of the original Hanford Site (then Hanford Engineer Works) builders and operators, are reviewed. The growth of knowledge, research efforts, and subsequent changes in Site waste disposal policies and practices are traced. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history

Prioritization and accelerated remediation of groundwater contamination in the 200 Areas of the Hanford Site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittreich, C.D.; Ford, B.H.

1993-04-01

The Hanford Site, operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE), occupies about 1,450 km 2 (560 mi 2 ) of the southeastern part of Washington State north of the confluence of the Yakima and Columbia Rivers. The Hanford Site is organized into numerically designated operational areas. The 200 Areas, located near the center of the Hanford Site, encompasses the 200 West, East and North Areas and cover an area of over 40 km 2 . The Hanford Site was originally designed, built, and operated to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons using production reactors and chemical reprocessing plants. Operations in the 200 Areas were mainly related to separation of special nuclear materials from spent nuclear fuel and contain related chemical and fuel processing and waste management facilities. Large quantities of chemical and radioactive waste associated with these processes were often disposed to the environment via infiltration structures such as cribs, ponds, ditches. This has resulted in over 25 chemical and radionuclide groundwater plumes, some of which have reached the Columbia River. An Aggregate Area Management Study program was implemented under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order to assess source and groundwater contamination and develop a prioritized approach for managing groundwater remediation in the 200 Areas. This included a comprehensive evaluation of existing waste disposal and environmental monitoring data and the conduct of limited field investigations (DOE-RL 1992, 1993). This paper summarizes the results of groundwater portion of AAMS program focusing on high priority contaminant plume distributions and the groundwater plume prioritization process. The objectives of the study were to identify groundwater contaminants of concern, develop a conceptual model, refine groundwater contaminant plume maps, and develop a strategy to expedite the remediation of high priority contaminants through the implementation of interim actions

Managing risk at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesser, W.A.; Stillwell, W.G.; Rutherford, W.A.

1994-01-01

Clearly, there is sufficient motivation from Washington for the Hanford community to pay particular attention to the risks associated with the substantial volumes of radiological, hazardous, and mixed waste at Hanford. But there is also another reason for emphasizing risk: Hanford leaders have come to realize that their decisions must consider risk and risk reduction if those decisions are to be technically sound, financially affordable, and publicly acceptable. The 560-square miles of desert land is worth only a few thousand dollars an acre (if that) -- hardly enough to justify the almost two billion dollars that will be spent at Hanford this year. The benefit of cleaning up the Hanford Site is not the land but the reduction of potential risk to the public and the environment for future generations. If risk reduction is our ultimate goal, decisions about priority of effort and resource allocation must consider those risks, now and in the future. The purpose of this paper is to describe how Hanford is addressing the issues of risk assessment, risk management, and risk-based decision making and to share some of our experiences in these areas

HANFORD SAFETY ANALYSIS and RISK ASSESSMENT HANDBOOK (SARAH)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EVANS, C.B.

2004-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Safety Analysis and Risk Assessment Handbook (SARAH) is to support the development of safety basis documentation for Hazard Category 2 and 3 (HC-2 and 3) U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) nuclear facilities to meet the requirements of 10 CFR 830, ''Nuclear Safety Management''. Subpart B, ''Safety Basis Requirements.'' Consistent with DOE-STD-3009-94, Change Notice 2, ''Preparation Guide for U.S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses'' (STD-3009), and DOE-STD-3011-2002, ''Guidance for Preparation of Basis for Interim Operation (BIO) Documents'' (STD-3011), the Hanford SARAH describes methodology for performing a safety analysis leading to development of a Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) and derivation of Technical Safety Requirements (TSR), and provides the information necessary to ensure a consistently rigorous approach that meets DOE expectations. The DSA and TSR documents, together with the DOE-issued Safety Evaluation Report (SER), are the basic components of facility safety basis documentation. For HC-2 or 3 nuclear facilities in long-term surveillance and maintenance (S and M), for decommissioning activities, where source term has been eliminated to the point that only low-level, residual fixed contamination is present, or for environmental remediation activities outside of a facility structure, DOE-STD-1120-98, ''Integration of Environment, Safety, and Health into Facility Disposition Activities'' (STD-1120), may serve as the basis for the DSA. HC-2 and 3 environmental remediation sites also are subject to the hazard analysis methodologies of this standard

78 FR 9902 - DOE Response to Recommendation 2012-2 of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Hanford...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-12

... Safety Board, Hanford Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety Strategy; Correction AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice; Correction SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) published a document in the Federal... Facilities Safety Board, Hanford Tank Farms Flammable Gas Safety Strategy. This document corrects an error in...

HANFORDS PUBLIC TOUR PROGRAM - AN EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL TOOL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

SINCLAIR KM

2010-12-07

Prior to 2001, the Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored limited tours of the Hanford Site for the public, but discontinued the program after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. In 2003, DOE's Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) requested the site's prime contractor to reinstate the public tour program starting in 2004 under strict controls and security requirements. The planning involved a collaborative effort among the security, safety and communications departments of DOE-RL and the site's contracting companies. This paper describes the evolution of, and enhancements to, Hanford's public tours, including the addition of a separate tour program for the B Reactor, the first full-scale nuclear reactor in the world. Topics included in the discussion include the history and growth of the tour program, associated costs, and visitor surveys and assessments.

Hanford Atomic Products Operation monthly report, January 1954

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F.K.

1954-02-25

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of January 1954. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes the accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Atomic Products Operation monthly report, April 1953

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F.K.

1953-05-20

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of April 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Atomic Products Operation monthly report, March 1953

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F.K.

1953-04-22

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of March 1953. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Atomic Products Operation monthly report, February 1954

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F.K.

1954-03-23

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of February 1951. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Atomic Products Operation monthly report, April 1954

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCune, F.K.

1954-05-21

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of April 1954. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

Hanford Site Infrastructure Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Infrastructure Plan (HIP) has been prepared as an overview of the facilities, utilities, systems, and services that support all activities on the Hanford Site. Its purpose is three-fold: to examine in detail the existing condition of the Hanford Site's aging utility systems, transportation systems, Site services and general-purpose facilities; to evaluate the ability of these systems to meet present and forecasted Site missions; to identify maintenance and upgrade projects necessary to ensure continued safe and cost-effective support to Hanford Site programs well into the twenty-first century. The HIP is intended to be a dynamic document that will be updated accordingly as Site activities, conditions, and requirements change. 35 figs., 25 tabs

Review of Hanford international activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panther, D.G.

1993-01-01

Hanford initiated a review of international activities to collect, review, and summarize information on international environmental restoration and waste management initiatives considered for use at Hanford. This effort focused on Hanford activities and accomplishments, especially international technical exchanges and/or the implementation of foreign-developed technologies

Final Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

N/A

1999-10-01

This Final ''Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement'' (HCP EIS) is being used by the Department of Energy (DOE) and its nine cooperating and consulting agencies to develop a comprehensive land-use plan (CLUP) for the Hanford Site. The DOE will use the Final HCP EIS as a basis for a Record of Decision (ROD) on a CLUP for the Hanford Site. While development of the CLUP will be complete with release of the HCP EIS ROD, full implementation of the CLUP is expected to take at least 50 years. Implementation of the CLUP would begin a more detailed planning process for land-use and facility-use decisions at the Hanford Site. The DOE would use the CLUP to screen proposals. Eventually, management of Hanford Site areas would move toward the CLUP land-use goals. This CLUP process could take more than 50 years to fully achieve the land-use goals.

Decision management for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberds, W.J.; Haerer, H.A. [Golder Associates, Inc., Redmond, WA (United States); Winterfeldt, D.V. [Decision Insights, Laguna Beach, CA (United States)

1992-04-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is in the process of developing estimates for the radiation doses that individuals and population groups may have received as a result of past activities at the Hanford Reservation in Eastern Washington. A formal decision-aiding methodology has been developed to assist the HEDR Project in making significant and defensible decisions regarding how this study will be conducted. These decisions relate primarily to policy (e.g., the appropriate level of public participation in the study) and specific technical aspects (e.g., the appropriate domain and depth of the study), and may have significant consequences with respect to technical results, costs, and public acceptability.

Decision management for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberds, W.J.; Haerer, H.A.; Winterfeldt, D.V.

1992-04-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is in the process of developing estimates for the radiation doses that individuals and population groups may have received as a result of past activities at the Hanford Reservation in Eastern Washington. A formal decision-aiding methodology has been developed to assist the HEDR Project in making significant and defensible decisions regarding how this study will be conducted. These decisions relate primarily to policy (e.g., the appropriate level of public participation in the study) and specific technical aspects (e.g., the appropriate domain and depth of the study), and may have significant consequences with respect to technical results, costs, and public acceptability

Soil structural analysis tools and properties for Hanford site waste tank evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, C.J.; Holtz, R.D.; Wagenblast, G.R.; Weiner, E.D.; Marlow, R.S.

1995-09-01

As Hanford Site contractors address future structural demands on nuclear waste tanks, built as early as 1943, it is necessary to address their current safety margins and ensure safe margins are maintained. Although the current civil engineering practice guidelines for soil modeling are suitable as preliminary design tools, future demands potentially result in loads and modifications to the tanks that are outside the original design basis and current code based structural capabilities. For example, waste removal may include cutting a large hole in a tank. This report addresses both spring modeling of site soils and finite-element modeling of soils. Additionally seismic dynamic modeling of Hanford Site soils is also included. Of new and special interest is Section 2.2 that Professor Robert D. Holtz of the University of Washington wrote on plane strain soil testing versus triaxial testing with Hanford Site application to large buried waste tanks

Soil structural analysis tools and properties for Hanford site waste tank evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, C.J.; Holtz, R.D.; Wagenblast, G.R.; Weiner, E.D.; Marlow, R.S.

1995-09-01

As Hanford Site contractors address future structural demands on nuclear waste tanks, built as early as 1943, it is necessary to address their current safety margins and ensure safe margins are maintained. Although the current civil engineering practice guidelines for soil modeling are suitable as preliminary design tools, future demands potentially result in loads and modifications to the tanks that are outside the original design basis and current code based structural capabilities. For example, waste removal may include cutting a large hole in a tank. This report addresses both spring modeling of site soils and finite-element modeling of soils. Additionally seismic dynamic modeling of Hanford Site soils is also included. Of new and special interest is Section 2.2 that Professor Robert D. Holtz of the University of Washington wrote on plane strain soil testing versus triaxial testing with Hanford Site application to large buried waste tanks.

Removal of radionuclides from the water-soluble fraction of Hanford nuclear defense wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strachan, D.M.; Schulz, W.W.

1980-01-01

The current Hanford Waste Management Program has operated since 1968 to remove the bulk of the long-lived heat emitters /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs from stored high-level wastes. The liquid waste remaining after removal of /sup 90/Sr and /sup 137/Cs is returned to underground tanks for eventual evaporation to damp solid salt cake. Approximately 95,000 m/sup 3/ of salt cake and 49,000 m/sup 3/ of ''sludge'' will eventually accumulate in approximately 50 underground single-shell tanks. One alternative for long-term management of high-level Hanford wastes involves retrieval, after a yet-to-be determined interim storage time, conversion to more immobile forms, and terminal storage in a suitable geologic repository. Another alternative for long-term management of salt cake and residual liquid involves removing most of the long-lived radionuclides and many of the shorter-lived ones from these wastes. This paper describes conditions and results of recent hot cell tests of the complete Hanford Radionuclide Removal Process. These advanced tests, made with actual residual liquid containing large concentrations of ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) and other organic compounds, provided a rigorous and convincing proof of the process flowsheet. 16 refs

Making a Lasting Impression: Recovery Act Reporting At Hanford - 12528

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tebrugge, Kimberly; Disney, Maren [CH2MHILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States)

2012-07-01

The award of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding came with an unprecedented request for transparency to showcase to the American public how the stimulus funding was being put to work to achieve the goals put forth by the U.S. Government. At the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site, this request manifested in a contract requirement to provide weekly narrative, photos and video to highlight Recovery Act-funded projects. For DOE contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL), the largest recipient of Hanford's funding, the reporting mechanism evolved into a communications tool for documenting the highly technical cleanup, then effectively sharing that story with the DOE and its varying stakeholder audiences. The report set the groundwork for building a streaming narrative of week-by-week progress. With the end of the Recovery Act, CH2M HILL is applying lessons learned from this stringent, transparent reporting process to its long-term reporting and communications of the progress being made in nuclear decommissioning at Hanford. (authors)

Technology Evaluation for Conditioning of Hanford Tank Waste Using Solids Segregation and Size Reduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Restivo, Michael L.; Stone, M. E.; Herman, D. T.; Lambert, Daniel P.; Duignan, Mark R.; Smith, Gary L.; Wells, Beric E.; Lumetta, Gregg J.; Enderlin, Carl W.; Adkins, Harold E.

2014-04-24

The Savannah River National Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory team performed a literature search on current and proposed technologies for solids segregation and size reduction of particles in the slurry feed from the Hanford Tank Farm. The team also investigated technology research performed on waste tank slurries, both real and simulated, and reviewed academic theory applicable to solids segregation and size reduction. This review included text book applications and theory, commercial applications suitable for a nuclear environment, research of commercial technologies suitable for a nuclear environment, and those technologies installed in a nuclear environment, including technologies implemented at Department of Energy facilities. Information on each technology is provided in this report along with the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies for this application. Any technology selected would require testing to verify the ability to meet the High-Level Waste Feed Waste Acceptance Criteria to the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Pretreatment Facility.

Work plan for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-12-01

The primary objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from nuclear operations at the Hanford Site since 1944, with descriptions of uncertainties inherent in such estimates. The secondary objective is to make project records--information that HEDR staff members used to estimate radiation doses--available to the public. Preliminary dose estimates for a limited geographic area and time period, certain radionuclides, and certain populations are planned to be available in 1990; complete results are planned to be reported in 1993. Project reports and references used in the reports are available to the public in the DOE Public Reading Room in Richland, Washington. Project progress is documented in monthly reports, which are also available to the public in the DOE Public Reading Room.

Hanford site transuranic waste certification plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GREAGER, T.M.

1999-01-01

As a generator of transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed waste destined for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Hanford Site must ensure that its TRU waste meets the requirements of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A, ''Radioactive Waste Management, and the Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant' (DOE 1996d) (WIPP WAC). The WIPP WAC establishes the specific physical, chemical, radiological, and packaging criteria for acceptance of defense TRU waste shipments at WIPP. The WIPP WAC also requires that participating DOE TRU waste generator/treatment/storage sites produce site-specific documents, including a certification plan, that describe their management of TRU waste and TRU waste shipments before transferring waste to WIPP. The Hanford Site must also ensure that its TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP meets requirements for transport in the Transuranic Package Transporter41 (TRUPACT-11). The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) establishes the TRUPACT-I1 requirements in the ''Safety Analysis Report for the TRUPACT-II Shipping Package'' (NRC 1997) (TRUPACT-I1 SARP)

Waste minimization - Hanford's strategy for sustainability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merry, D.S.

1998-01-01

The Hanford Site cleanup activity is an immense and challenging undertaking, which includes characterization and decommissioning of 149 single-shell storage tanks, treating waste stored in 28 double-shell tanks, safely disposing of over 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel stored onsite, removing thousands of structures, and dealing with significant solid waste, groundwater, and land restoration issues. The Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization (P2/WMin) Program supports the Hanford Site mission to safely clean up and manage legacy waste and to develop and deploy science and technology in many ways. Once such way is through implementing and documenting over 231 waste reduction projects during the past five years, resulting in over $93 million in cost savings/avoidances. These savings/avoidances allowed other high priority cleanup work to be performed. Another way is by exceeding the Secretary of Energy's waste reduction goals over two years ahead of schedule, thus reducing the amount of waste to be stored, treated and disposed. Six key elements are the foundation for these sustained P2/WMin results

Hanford Emergency Response Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagoner, J.D.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Emergency Response Plan for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL), incorporates into one document an overview of the emergency management program for the Hanford Site. The program has been developed in accordance with DOE orders, and state and federal regulations to protect worker and public health and safety and the environment in the event of an emergency at or affecting the Hanford Site. This plan provides a description of how the Hanford Site will implement the provisions of DOE 5500 series and other applicable Orders in terms of overall policies and concept of operations. It should be used as the basis, along with DOE Orders, for the development of specific contractor and RL implementing procedures

Hanford Emergency Response Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagoner, J.D.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Emergency Response Plan for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL), incorporates into one document an overview of the emergency management program for the Hanford Site. The program has been developed in accordance with DOE orders, and state and federal regulations to protect worker and public health and safety and the environment in the event of an emergency at or affecting the Hanford Site. This plan provides a description of how the Hanford Site will implement the provisions of DOE 5500 series and other applicable Orders in terms of overall policies and concept of operations. It should be used as the basis, along with DOE Orders, for the development of specific contractor and RL implementing procedures.

The changing face of Hanford security 1990--1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thielman, J.

1995-01-01

The meltdown of the Cold War was a shock to the systems built to cope with it. At the DOE's Hanford Site in Washington State, a world-class safeguards and security system was suddenly out of step with the times. The level of protection for nuclear and classified materials was exceptional. But the cost was high and the defense facilities that funded security were closing down. The defense mission had created an umbrella of security over the sprawling Hanford Site. Helicopters designed to ferry special response teams to any trouble spot on the 1,456 square-kilometer site made the umbrella analogy almost literally true. Facilities were grouped into areas, fenced off like a military base, and entrance required a badge check for everyone. Within the fence, additional rings of protection were set up around security interests or targets. The security was effective, but costly to operate and inconvenient for employees and visitors alike. Moreover, the umbrella meant that virtually all employees needed a security clearance just to get to work, whether they worked on classified or unclassified projects. Clearly, some fundamental rethinking of safeguards and security was needed. The effort to meet that challenge is the story of transition at Hanford and documented here

Hanford Integrated Planning Process: 1993 Hanford Site-specific science and technology plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-12-01

This document is the FY 1993 report on Hanford Site-specific science and technology (S ampersand T) needs for cleanup of the Site as developed via the Hanford Integrated Planning Process (HIPP). It identifies cleanup problems that lack demonstrated technology solutions and technologies that require additional development. Recommendations are provided regarding allocation of funding to address Hanford's highest-priority technology improvement needs, technology development needs, and scientific research needs, all compiled from a Sitewide perspective. In the past, the S ampersand T agenda for Hanford Site cleanup was sometimes driven by scientists and technologists, with minimal input from the ''problem owners'' (i.e., Westinghouse Hanford Company [WHC] staff who are responsible for cleanup activities). At other times, the problem-owners made decisions to proceed with cleanup without adequate scientific and technological inputs. Under both of these scenarios, there was no significant stakeholder involvement in the decision-making process. One of the key objectives of HIPP is to develop an understanding of the integrated S ampersand T requirements to support the cleanup mission, (a) as defined by the needs of the problem owners, the values of the stakeholders, and the technology development expertise that exists at Hanford and elsewhere. This requires a periodic, systematic assessment of these needs and values to appropriately define a comprehensive technology development program and a complementary scientific research program. Basic to our success is a methodology that is defensible from a technical perspective and acceptable to the stakeholders

CLOSING IN ON CLOSURE PERSPECTIVES FROM HANFORD and FERNALD AN UPDATE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CONNELL, J.D.

2004-01-01

In World War II, the arms dramatically changed from machine guns and incendiary bombs to nuclear weapons. Hanford and Fernald, two government-run sites, were part of the infrastructure established for producing the fissile material for making these weapons, as well as building a nuclear arsenal to deter future aggression by other nations. This paper compares and contrasts, from a communications point of view, these two Department of Energy (DOE) closure sites, each with Fluor as a prime contractor. The major differences between the two sites--Hanford in Washington state and Fernald in Ohio--includes the following: size of the site and the workforce, timing of closure, definition of end state, DOE oversight, proximity to population centers, readiness of local population for closure, and dependence of the local economy on the site's budget. All of these elements affect how the sites' communication professionals provide information even though the objectives are the same: build public acceptance and support for DOE's mission to accelerate cleanup, interface with stakeholders to help ensure that issues are addressed and goals are met, help workers literally work themselves out of jobs--faster, and prepare the ''host'' communities to deal with the void left when the sites are closed and the government contractors are gone. The 12-months between January 04 and January 05 have seen dramatic transformations at both sites, as Fernald is now just about a year away from closure and FLuor's work at Hanford has made the transition from operations to deactivation and demolition. While Fernald continues to clean out silos of waste and ship it off site, Hanford is dealing with recent state legislation that has the potential to significantly impact the progress of cleanup. These changes have even further accentuated the differences in the content, distribution, and impact of communications

Application of new technologies for characterization of Hanford Site high-level waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winters, W.I.

1998-01-01

To support remediation of Hanford Site high-level radioactive waste tanks, new chemical and physical measurement technologies must be developed and deployed. This is a major task of the Chemistry Analysis Technology Support (CATS) group of the Hanford Corporation. New measurement methods are required for efficient and economical resolution of tank waste safety, waste retrieval, and disposal issues. These development and deployment activities are performed in cooperation with Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc. This paper provides an overview of current analytical technologies in progress. The high-level waste at the Hanford Site is chemically complex because of the numerous processes used in past nuclear fuel reprocessing there, and a variety of technologies is required for effective characterization. Programmatic and laboratory operational needs drive the selection of new technologies for characterizing Hanford Site high-level waste, and these technologies are developed for deployment in laboratories, hot cells or in the field. New physical methods, such as the propagating reactive systems screening tool (PRSST) to measure the potential for self-propagating reactions in stored wastes, are being implemented. Technology for sampling and measuring gases trapped within the waste matrix is being used to evaluate flammability hazards associated with gas releases from stored wastes. Application of new inductively coupled plasma and laser ablation mass spectrometry systems at the Hanford Site's 222-S Laboratory will be described. A Raman spectroscopy probe mounted in a cone penetrometer to measure oxyanions in wastes or soils will be described. The Hanford Site has used large volumes of organic complexants and acids in processing waste, and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) methods have been developed for determining several of the major organic components in complex waste tank matrices. The principles involved, system installation, and results from

Westinghouse Hanford Company FY 1995 Materials Management Plan (MMP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Higginson, M.C.

1994-10-01

The safe and sound operation of facilities and storage of nuclear material are top priorities within Hanford's environmental management, site restoration mission. The projected materials estimates, based on the Materials Management Plan (MMP) assumptions outlined below, were prepared for Department of Energy (DOE) use in long-range planning. The Hanford MMP covers the period FY 1995 through FY 2005, as directed by DOE. All DOE Richland Operations (RL) Office facilities are essentially funded by the Office of Transition and Facilities Management, Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM). These facilities include PUREX, the UO 3 plant, N-Reactor, T-Plant, K-Basins, FFTF, PFP and the 300 Area Fuel Fabrication facilities. Currently DP provides partial funding for the latter two facilities. Beginning in FY 1996 (in accordance with DOE-HQ MMP assumptions), EM will fund expenses related to the storage, monitoring, and safeguarding of all Special Nuclear Material (SNM) in the PFP. Ownership and costs related to movement and/or stabilization of that material will belong to EM programs (excluding NE material). It is also assumed that IAEA will take over inventory validation and surveillance of EM owned SNM at this time (FY 1996)

Relationship of human values and energy beliefs to nuclear power attitude

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rankin, W.L.; Nealey, S.M.

1978-11-01

This executive summary highlights the major findings of a nuclear power mail-out survey administered to a random sample of Washington residents, a random sample of nuclear neighbors from the region around the Hanford Reservation, and a random sample of Washington environmentalists. The purpose of the research was twofold. First, it investigated the relationship of human values to one's attitude about the continued development of nuclear power. Second, it investigated the relationship of general energy beliefs and beliefs about specific nuclear power issues to one's attitude about the continued development of nuclear power. The findings are presented in summary form by posing and answering questions of policy relevance to the Department of Energy

Hanford Site technical baseline database. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, P.E.

1995-01-01

This report lists the Hanford specific files (Table 1) that make up the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. Table 2 includes the delta files that delineate the differences between this revision and revision 0 of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. This information is being managed and maintained on the Hanford RDD-100 System, which uses the capabilities of RDD-100, a systems engineering software system of Ascent Logic Corporation (ALC). This revision of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database uses RDD-100 version 3.0.2.2 (see Table 3). Directories reflect those controlled by the Hanford RDD-100 System Administrator. Table 4 provides information regarding the platform. A cassette tape containing the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database is available

The Hanford Site: An anthology of early histories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerber, M.S.

1993-10-01

This report discusses the following topics: Memories of War: Pearl Harbor and the Genesis of the Hanford Site; safety has always been promoted at the Hanford Site; women have an important place in Hanford Site history; the boom and bust cycle: A 50-year historical overview of the economic impacts of Hanford Site Operations on the Tri-Cities, Washington; Hanford`s early reactors were crucial to the sites`s history; T-Plant made chemical engineering history; the UO{sub 3} plant has a long history of service. PUREX Plant: the Hanford Site`s Historic Workhorse. PUREX Plant Waste Management was a complex challenge; and early Hanford Site codes and jargon.

Identification of the non-pertechnetate species in Hanford waste tanks, Tc(I) carbonyl complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukens, Wayne W.; Shuh, David K.; Schroeder, Norman C.; Ashley, Kenneth R.

2003-10-16

Immobilization of the high-level nuclear waste stored at the Hanford Reservation has been complicated by the presence of soluble, lower-valent technetium species. Previous work by Schroeder and Blanchard has shown that these species cannot be removed by ion-exchange and are difficult to oxidize. The Tc-K edge XANES spectra of the species in Tanks SY-101 and SY-103 were reported by Blanchard, but they could not be assigned to any known technetium complex. We report that the XANES spectra are most likely those of Tc(I) carbonyl species, especially fac-Tc(CO){sub 3}(gluconate){sup 2-}. This is further supported by EXAFS and {sup 99}Tc-NMR studies in nonradioactive simulants of these tank wastes.

Selection of dominant radionuclides for Phase 1 of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Napier, B.A.

1991-07-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of emissions from nuclear operations at Hanford since their inception in 1944. A vital step in the estimation of radiation doses is the determination of the source term,'' that is, the quantities of radionuclides that were released to the environment from the various Hanford operations. Hanford operations have at various times involved hundreds of different radionuclides, some in relatively large quantities. Those radionuclides present in the largest quantities, although significant from an operational handling point of view, may not necessarily have been those of greatest concern for offsite radiation dose. This report documents the selection of the dominant radionuclides (those that may have resulted in the largest portion of the received doses) in the source term for Phase 1 of the HEDR Project, that is, for atmospheric releases from 1944 through 1947 and for surface water releases from 1964 through 1966. 15 refs., 3 figs., 10 tabs.

Application of nuclear-geophysical methods to reserves estimation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bessonova, T.B.; Karpenko, I.A.

1980-01-01

On the basis of the analysis of reports dealing with calculations of mineral reserves considered are shortcomings in using nuclear-geophysical methods and in assessment of the reliability of geophysical sampling. For increasing efficiency of nuclear-geophysical investigations while prospecting ore deposits, it is advisable to introduce them widely instead of traditional geological sampling methods. For this purpose it is necessary to increase sensitivity and accuracy of radioactivity logging methods, to provide determination of certain elements in ores by these methods

Hanford Radiological Protection Support Services Annual Report for 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

TP Lynch; DE Bihl; ML Johnson; MA MacLellan; RK Piper

2000-05-19

During calendar year (CY) 1999, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) performed its customary radiological protection support services in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office (RL) and the Hanford contractors. These services included: (1) external dosimetry, (2) internal dosimetry, (3) in vivo measurements, (4) radiological records, (5) instrument calibration and evaluation, and (6) calibration of radiation sources traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The services were provided under a number of programs as summarized here. Along with providing site-wide nuclear accident and environmental dosimetry capabilities, the Hanford External Dosimetry Program (HEDP) supports Hanford radiation protection programs by providing external radiation monitoring capabilities for all Hanford workers and visitors to help ensure their health and safety. Processing volumes decreased in CY 1999 relative to prior years for all types of dosimeters, with an overall decrease of 19%. During 1999, the HEDP passed the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) performance testing criteria in 15 different categories. HEDP computers and processors were tested and upgraded to become Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant. Several changes and improvements were made to enhance the interpretation of dosimeter results. The Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program (HIDP) provides for the assessment and documentation of occupational dose from intakes of radionuclides at the Hanford Site. Performance problems carried over from CY 1998 continued to plague the in vitro bioassay contractor. A new contract was awarded for the in vitro bioassay program. A new computer system was put into routine operation by the in vivo bioassay program. Several changes to HIDP protocols were made that were related to bioassay grace periods, using field data to characterize the amount of alpha activity present and using a new default particle

Hanford Radiological Protection Support Services Annual Report for 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

TP Lynch; DE Bihl; ML Johnson; MA MacLellan; RK Piper

2000-01-01

During calendar year (CY) 1999, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) performed its customary radiological protection support services in support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office (RL) and the Hanford contractors. These services included: (1) external dosimetry, (2) internal dosimetry, (3) in vivo measurements, (4) radiological records, (5) instrument calibration and evaluation, and (6) calibration of radiation sources traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The services were provided under a number of programs as summarized here. Along with providing site-wide nuclear accident and environmental dosimetry capabilities, the Hanford External Dosimetry Program (HEDP) supports Hanford radiation protection programs by providing external radiation monitoring capabilities for all Hanford workers and visitors to help ensure their health and safety. Processing volumes decreased in CY 1999 relative to prior years for all types of dosimeters, with an overall decrease of 19%. During 1999, the HEDP passed the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) performance testing criteria in 15 different categories. HEDP computers and processors were tested and upgraded to become Year 2000 (Y2K) compliant. Several changes and improvements were made to enhance the interpretation of dosimeter results. The Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program (HIDP) provides for the assessment and documentation of occupational dose from intakes of radionuclides at the Hanford Site. Performance problems carried over from CY 1998 continued to plague the in vitro bioassay contractor. A new contract was awarded for the in vitro bioassay program. A new computer system was put into routine operation by the in vivo bioassay program. Several changes to HIDP protocols were made that were related to bioassay grace periods, using field data to characterize the amount of alpha activity present and using a new default particle

Hanford Site's Integrated Risk Assessment Program: No-intervention risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahaffey, J.A.; Dukelow, J.S. Jr.; Stenner, R.D.

1994-08-01

The long-term goal of the Integrated Risk Assessment program (IRAP) is to estimate risks to workers, the public, organizations, and groups with reserved rights to Site access, the ecosystem, and natural resources to aid in managing environmental restoration and waste management at the Hanford Site. For each of these, information is needed about current risks, risks during cleanup, and endstate risks. The objective is three-fold: to determine if and when to remediate, and to what extent; to identify information unavailable but needed to make better cleanup decisions; to establish technology performance criteria for achieving desired cleanup levels; to understand costs and benefits of activities from a Site-wide perspective. The no-intervention risk, assessment is the initial evaluation of public health risks conducted under IRAP. The objective is to identify types of activities that the US Department of Energy (DOE) must accomplish for closure of the Hanford Site, defined as no further DOE intervention. There are two primary conclusions from the no-intervention risk assessment. First, some maintenance and operations activities at Hanford must be continued to protect the public from grave risks. However, when large Hanford expenditures are compared to cleanup progress, funds expended for maintenance and operations must be put in proper perspective. Second, stakeholder's emphasis on public risks at Hanford, as indicated by remediation priorities, are not in line with those estimated. The focus currently is on compliance with regulations, and on dealing with issues which are visible to stakeholders

TBP and diluent mass balances in the PUREX Plant at Hanford, 1955--1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sederburg, J.P.; Reddick, J.A.

1994-12-01

The purpose of this report is to develop an estimate of the quantities of tributyl phosphate and diluent discharged in aqueous waste streams to the tank farms from the Hanford Purex Plant over its operating life. Purex was not the sole source of organics in the tank farms, but was a major contributor. Tributyl phosphate (TBP) and diluent, which changed from Shell E-2342 reg-sign to Soltrol-170 reg-sign and then to normal paraffin hydrocarbon (NPH), were organic chemicals used in the Purex solvent extraction process at Hanford to separate plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear fuels. This report is an estimate of the material balances for these chemicals in the Purex Plant at Hanford over its entire operating life. The Purex Plant had cold start up in November 1955 and shut down in 1990. It's process used a solution of 30 vol% TBP in diluent

1995 Report on Hanford site land disposal restrictions for mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, D.G.

1995-04-01

This report was submitted to meet the requirements of Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order Milestone M-26-01E. This milestone requires the preparation of an annual report that covers characterization, treatment, storage, minimization, and other aspects of land disposal restricted mixed waste at the Hanford Site. The U.S. Department of Energy, its predecessors, and contractors at the Hanford Site were involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials from the early 1940s to the late 1980s. These production activities have generated large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive mixed waste. This waste is subject to regulation under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This report covers mixed waste only. The Washington State Department of Ecology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Energy have entered into an agreement, the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (commonly referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement) to bring the Hanford Site operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement required development of the original land disposal restrictions (LDRs) plan and its annual updates to comply with LDR requirements for radioactive mixed waste. This report is the fifth update of the plan first issued in 1990. Tri-Party Agreement negotiations completed in 1993 and approved in January 1994 changed and added many new milestones. Most of the changes were related to the Tank Waste Remediation System and these changes are incorporated into this report

1995 Report on Hanford site land disposal restrictions for mixed waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Black, D.G.

1995-04-01

This report was submitted to meet the requirements of Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order Milestone M-26-01E. This milestone requires the preparation of an annual report that covers characterization, treatment, storage, minimization, and other aspects of land disposal restricted mixed waste at the Hanford Site. The U.S. Department of Energy, its predecessors, and contractors at the Hanford Site were involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials from the early 1940s to the late 1980s. These production activities have generated large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive mixed waste. This waste is subject to regulation under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This report covers mixed waste only. The Washington State Department of Ecology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Energy have entered into an agreement, the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (commonly referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement) to bring the Hanford Site operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement required development of the original land disposal restrictions (LDRs) plan and its annual updates to comply with LDR requirements for radioactive mixed waste. This report is the fifth update of the plan first issued in 1990. Tri-Party Agreement negotiations completed in 1993 and approved in January 1994 changed and added many new milestones. Most of the changes were related to the Tank Waste Remediation System and these changes are incorporated into this report.

Hanford well custodians. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schatz, A.L.; Underwood, D.J.

1995-01-01

The Hanford Site Groundwater Protection Management Program recognized the need to integrate monitoring well activities in a centralized manner. A key factor to Hanford Site well integration was the need to clearly identify a responsible party for each of the wells. WHC was asked to identify all wells on site, the program(s) using each well, and the program ultimately responsible for the well. This report lists the custodian and user(s) for each Hanford well and supplies a comprehensive list of all decommissioned and orphaned wells on the Hanford Site. This is the first update to the original report released in December 1993

Hanford Site peak gust wind speeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.

1998-01-01

Peak gust wind data collected at the Hanford Site since 1945 are analyzed to estimate maximum wind speeds for use in structural design. The results are compared with design wind speeds proposed for the Hanford Site. These comparisons indicate that design wind speeds contained in a January 1998 advisory changing DOE-STD-1020-94 are excessive for the Hanford Site and that the design wind speeds in effect prior to the changes are still appropriate for the Hanford Site

Trends in radionuclide concentrations for wildlife and food products near Hanford for the period 1971 through 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhardt, L.E.; Cadwell, L.L.; Price, K.R.; Carlile, D.W.

1989-10-01

The objective of this summary investigation was to identify trends in radionuclide concentrations for wildlife and food products sampled from 1971 through 1988 as part of the Hanford Site Environmental Monitoring Program. No upward trends in radionuclide concentrations were detected for any wildlife or food products. Several sample types demonstrated significantly declining radionuclide concentrations. Three factors appeared to be responsible for the trends. First, the cessation of atmospheric testing by the United States and Soviet Union in 1971 contributed to the decline of radionuclides in some samples. Second, contaminants discharged to the Columbia River were reduced subsequent to the 1971 shutdown of the last Hanford nuclear reactor that used a once-through cooling water design. The reactor closing resulted in declines in activation products in oysters from Willapa Bay and in whitefish from the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River. Third, reductions in radionuclide concentrations in Hanford wildlife suggested a decreasing availability of environmental contaminants to wildlife. Remediation of areas having environmental surface contaminants on the Hanford Site was identified as a probable cause. 5 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs

Development and implementation of an analytical quality assurance plan at the Hanford site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhl-Klinger, K.J.; Taylor, C.D.; Kawabata, K.K.

1995-08-01

The Hanford Analytical Services Quality Assurance Plan (HASQAP) provides a uniform standard for onsite and offsite laboratories performing analytical work in support of Hanford Site environmental cleanup initiatives. The Hanford Site is a nuclear site that originated during World War 11 and has a legacy of environmental clean up issues. In early 1993, the need for and feasibility of developing a quality assurance plan to direct all analytical activities performed to support environmental cleanup initiatives set forth in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order were discussed. Several group discussions were held and from them came the HASQAP. This document will become the quality assurance guidance document in a Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. This paper presents the mechanics involved in developing a quality assurance plan for this scope of activity, including the approach taken to resolve the variability of quality control requirements driven by numerous regulations. It further describes the consensus building process and how the goal of uniting onsite and offsite laboratories as well as inorganic, organic, and radioanalytic disciplines under a common understanding of basic quality control concepts was achieved

Hanford site near-facility environmental monitoring annual report, calendar year 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perkins, C.J.

1997-08-05

This document summarizes the results of the near-facility environmental monitoring results for 1996 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 areas of the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. The monitoring implements applicable portions of DOE Orders 5400.1 (DOE 1988a), 5400.5 (DOE 1990), and 5820.2A (DOE 1988b); Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-247; and Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61, Subpart H (EPA 1989). In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels were slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Hanford recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonard, I.M.

1996-09-01

This paper is a study of the past and present recycling efforts on the Hanford site and options for future improvements in the recycling program. Until 1996, recycling goals were voluntarily set by the waste generators: this year, DOE has imposed goals for all its sites to accomplish by 1999. Hanford is presently meeting the voluntary site goals, but may not be able to meet all the new DOE goals without changes to the program. Most of these new DOE goals are recycling goals: * Reduce the generation of radioactive (low-level) waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of low-level mixed waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of hazardous waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Recycle 33 percent of the sanitary waste from all operations. * Increase affirmative procurement of EPA-designated recycled items to 100 percent. The Hanford recycling program has made great strides-there has been a 98 percent increase in the amount of paper recycled since its inception in 1990. Hanford recycles paper, chemicals cardboard, tires, oil, batteries, rags, lead weights, fluorescent tubes, aerosol products, concrete, office furniture, computer software, drums, toner cartridges, and scrap metal. Many other items are recycled or reused by individual groups on a one time basis without a formal contract. Several contracts are closed-loop contracts which involve all parts of the recycle loop. Considerable savings are generated from recycling, and much more is possible with increased attention and improvements to this program. General methods for improving the recycling program to ensure that the new goals can be met are: a Contract and financial changes 0 Tracking database and methods improvements 0 Expanded recycling efforts. Specifically, the Hanford recycling program would be improved by: 0 Establishing one overall

Overview of Chromium Remediation Technology Evaluations At The Hanford Site, Richland Washington

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, J. G.; Hanson, J. P.

2009-12-01

This paper will present an overview of the different technologies and the results to date for optimizing and improving the remediation of Cr+6 in the soil and groundwater at the Hanford Site. The Hanford Site, par of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)nuclear weapons complex, encompasses approximately 586 square miles in southeast Washington State. The Columbia River flows through the site (Hanford Reach.) Reactors were located along the Hanford Reach as part of the production process. Sodium dichromate was used as a corrosion inhibitor in the cooling water for the reactors. As a result chromium (Cr+6) is present in the soil and groundwater. Since the mid 90's interim groundwater pump and treat systems have been in place to try and contain or mitigate the migration of contaminated groundwater into the Columbia River. The primary concern being the protection of aquatic spawning habitat for salmon and other species. In order to improve the effectiveness of the remedial actions a number of different technologies have been evaluated and/or deployed. These include, permeable reactive barriers, in-situ bio-stimulation, in-situ chemical reduction, zero-valent iron injection and evaluation of improved above ground treatment technologies. An overview of the technologies and results to date are presented.

Commercial milk distribution profiles and production locations. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deonigi, D.E.; Anderson, D.M.; Wilfert, G.L.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project was established to estimate radiation doses that people could have received from nuclear operations at the Hanford Site since 1944. For this period iodine-131 is the most important offsite contributor to radiation doses from Hanford operations. Consumption of milk from cows that ate vegetation contaminated by iodine-131 is the dominant radiation pathway for individuals who drank milk (Napier 1992). Information has been developed on commercial milk cow locations and commercial milk distribution during 1945 and 1951. The year 1945 was selected because during 1945 the largest amount of iodine-131 was released from Hanford facilities in a calendar year (Heeb 1993); therefore, 1945 was the year in which an individual was likely to have received the highest dose. The year 1951 was selected to provide data for comparing the changes that occurred in commercial milk flows (i.e., sources, processing locations, and market areas) between World War II and the post-war period. To estimate the doses people could have received from this milk flow, it is necessary to estimate the amount of milk people consumed, the source of the milk, the specific feeding regime used for milk cows, and the amount of iodine-131 contamination deposited on feed.

Environmental Assessment: Waste Tank Safety Program, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-02-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) needs to take action in the near-term, to accelerate resolution of waste tank safety issues at the Hanford Site near the City of Richland, Washington, and reduce the risks associated with operations and management of the waste tanks. The DOE has conducted nuclear waste management operations at the Hanford Site for nearly 50 years. Operations have included storage of high-level nuclear waste in 177 underground storage tanks (UST), both in single-shell tank (SST) and double-shell tank configurations. Many of the tanks, and the equipment needed to operate them, are deteriorated. Sixty-seven SSTs are presumed to have leaked a total approximately 3,800,000 liters (1 million gallons) of radioactive waste to the soil. Safety issues associated with the waste have been identified, and include (1) flammable gas generation and episodic release; (2) ferrocyanide-containing wastes; (3) a floating organic solvent layer in Tank 241-C-103; (4) nuclear criticality; (5) toxic vapors; (6) infrastructure upgrades; and (7) interim stabilization of SSTs. Initial actions have been taken in all of these areas; however, much work remains before a full understanding of the tank waste behavior is achieved. The DOE needs to accelerate the resolution of tank safety concerns to reduce the risk of an unanticipated radioactive or chemical release to the environment, while continuing to manage the wastes safely

System Planning With The Hanford Waste Operations Simulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, T.W.; Certa, P.J.; Wells, M.N.

2010-01-01

At the U. S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, 216 million liters (57 million gallons) of nuclear waste is currently stored in aging underground tanks, threatening the Columbia River. The River Protection Project (RPP), a fully integrated system of waste storage, retrieval, treatment, and disposal facilities, is in varying stages of design, construction, operation, and future planning. These facilities face many overlapping technical, regulatory, and financial hurdles to achieve site cleanup and closure. Program execution is ongoing, but completion is currently expected to take approximately 40 more years. Strategic planning for the treatment of Hanford tank waste is by nature a multi-faceted, complex and iterative process. To help manage the planning, a report referred to as the RPP System Plan is prepared to provide a basis for aligning the program scope with the cost and schedule, from upper-tier contracts to individual facility operating plans. The Hanford Tank Waste Operations Simulator (HTWOS), a dynamic flowsheet simulation and mass balance computer model, is used to simulate the current planned RPP mission, evaluate the impacts of changes to the mission, and assist in planning near-term facility operations. Development of additional modeling tools, including an operations research model and a cost model, will further improve long-term planning confidence. The most recent RPP System Plan, Revision 4, was published in September 2009.

Hanford Surplus Facilities Program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, M.C.; Wahlen, R.K.; Winship, R.A.

1989-09-01

The Hanford Surplus Facilities Program is responsible for the safe and cost-effective surveillance, maintenance, and decommissioning of surplus facilities at the Hanford Site. The management of these facilities requires a surveillance and maintenance program to keep them in a safe condition and development of a plan for ultimate disposition. Criteria used to evaluate each factor relative to decommissioning are based on the guidelines presented by the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office, Defense Facilities Decommissioning Program Office, and are consistent with the Westinghouse Hanford Company commitment to decommission the Hanford Site retired facilities in the safest and most cost-effective way achievable. This document outlines the plan for managing these facilities to the end of disposition

The Hanford Site: An anthology of early histories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.S.

1993-10-01

This report discusses the following topics: Memories of War: Pearl Harbor and the Genesis of the Hanford Site; safety has always been promoted at the Hanford Site; women have an important place in Hanford Site history; the boom and bust cycle: A 50-year historical overview of the economic impacts of Hanford Site Operations on the Tri-Cities, Washington; Hanford's early reactors were crucial to the sites's history; T-Plant made chemical engineering history; the UO 3 plant has a long history of service. PUREX Plant: the Hanford Site's Historic Workhorse. PUREX Plant Waste Management was a complex challenge; and early Hanford Site codes and jargon

Immobilization of Radionuclides in the Hanford Vadose Zone by Incorporation in Solid Phases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Gordon E. Jr.; Catalano, Jeffrey G.; Warner, Jeffrey A.; Samual Shaw; Daniel Grolimund

2005-01-01

The Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Site located in Washington State has accumulated over 2 million curies of radioactive waste from activities related to the production of plutonium (Ahearne, 1997). Sixty-seven of the single-shelled tanks located at the site are thought to have leaked, allowing between 2 and 4 million liters of waste fluids into the underlying vadose zone. The chemical processes employed at the Hanford Site to extract plutonium, as well as the need to minimize corrosion of the high-carbon steel storage tanks, resulted in uncharacterized hyperalkaline waste streams rich in radionuclides as well as other species including significant amounts of sodium and aluminum

Hanford Environmental Management Program implementation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-08-01

The Hanford Environmental Management Program (HEMP) was established to facilitate compliance with the applicable environmental statues, regulations, and standards on the Hanford Site. The HEMP provides a structured approach to achieve environmental management objectives. The Hanford Environmental Management Program Plan (HEMP Plan) was prepared as a strategic level planning document to describe the program management, technical implementation, verification, and communications activities that guide the HEMP. Four basic program objectives are identified in the HEMP Plan as follows: establish ongoing monitoring to ensure that Hanford Site operations comply with environmental requirements; attain regulatory compliance through the modification of activities; mitigate any environmental consequences; and minimize the environmental impacts of future operations at the Hanford Site. 2 refs., 24 figs., 27 tabs

Hanford spent fuel inventory baseline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergsman, K.H.

1994-01-01

This document compiles technical data on irradiated fuel stored at the Hanford Site in support of the Hanford SNF Management Environmental Impact Statement. Fuel included is from the Defense Production Reactors (N Reactor and the single-pass reactors; B, C, D, DR, F, H, KE and KW), the Hanford Fast Flux Test Facility Reactor, the Shipping port Pressurized Water Reactor, and small amounts of miscellaneous fuel from several commercial, research, and experimental reactors

Risk management of onsite transportation of nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Field, J.G.; Wang, O.S.; Mercado, J.E.

1993-01-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site recently has undergone a significant change in mission. The focus of operations has shifted from plutonium production to environmental restoration. This transition has caused a substantial increase in quantities of nuclear waste and other hazardous materials packaged and transported onsite. In response to the escalating transportation activity, Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford), the Hanford Site operations and engineering contractor, is proposing an integrated risk assessment methodology and risk management strategy to enhance the safety of onsite packaging and transportation operations involving nuclear waste. The proposed methodology consists of three integral parts: risk assessment, risk acceptance criteria, and risk minimization. The purpose of the methodology is to ensure that the risk for each ongoing transportation activity is acceptable and to minimize the overall risk for current and future onsite operations. (authors). 2 figs., 6 refs

Risk management of onsite transportation of nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Field, J.G.; Wang, O.S.; Mercado, J.E.

1993-03-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site recently has undergone a significant change in mission. The focus of operations has shifted from plutonium production to environmental restoration. This transition has caused a substantial increase in quantities of nuclear waste and other hazardous materials packaged and transported onsite. In response to the escalating transportation activity, Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford), the Hanford Site operations and engineering contractor, is proposing an integrated risk assessment methodology and risk management strategy to enhance the safety of onsite packaging and transportation operations involving nuclear waste. The proposed methodology consists of three integral parts: risk assessment, risk acceptance criteria, and risk minimization. The purpose of the methodology is to ensure that the risk for each ongoing transportation activity is acceptable and to minimize the overall risk for current and future onsite operations

Preliminary assessment of nuclear waste transportation cost and risk for operation of the first repository at candidate sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, R.W.; McSweeney, T.I.; Varadarajan, R.V.; Wilmot, E.L.; Cashwell, J.W.; Joy, D.S.

1983-01-01

To support the selection of the first commercial nuclear waste repository site in 1987, environmental analyses of five candidate site locations are currently being performed. The five locations are in the Gulf Interior Region, the Permian Basin, the Paradox Basin, Yucca Mountain and the Hanford reservation. Costs and operational risks associated with the transportation of nuclear wastes to a single repository located in these regions have been calculated for a life-cycle of 26 years

A One System Integrated Approach to Simulant Selection for Hanford High Level Waste Mixing and Sampling Tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thien, Mike G.; Barnes, Steve M.

2013-01-01

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capabilities using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HLW) formulations. This represents one of the largest remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. Previous testing has focused on very specific TOC or WTP test objectives and consequently the simulants were narrowly focused on those test needs. A key attribute in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2010-2 is to ensure testing is performed with a simulant that represents the broad spectrum of Hanford waste. The One System Integrated Project Team is a new joint TOC and WTP organization intended to ensure technical integration of specific TOC and WTP systems and testing. A new approach to simulant definition has been mutually developed that will meet both TOC and WTP test objectives for the delivery and receipt of HLW. The process used to identify critical simulant characteristics, incorporate lessons learned from previous testing, and identify specific simulant targets that ensure TOC and WTP testing addresses the broad spectrum of Hanford waste characteristics that are important to mixing, sampling, and transfer performance are described

Hanford double shell tank corrosion monitoring instrument tree prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.L.; Edgemon, G.L.; Ohl, P.C.

1995-11-01

High-level nuclear wastes at the Hanford site are stored underground in carbon steel double-shell and single-shell tanks (DSTs and SSTs). The installation of a prototype corrosion monitoring instrument tree into DST 241-A-101 was completed in December 1995. The instrument tree has the ability to detect and discriminate between uniform corrosion, pitting, and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) through the use of electrochemical noise measurements and a unique stressed element, three-electrode probe. The tree itself is constructed of AISI 304L stainless steel (UNS S30403), with probes in the vapor space, vapor/liquid interface and liquid. Successful development of these trees will allow their application to single shell tanks and the transfer of technology to other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. Keywords: Hanford, radioactive waste, high-level waste tanks, electrochemical noise, probes, double-shell tanks, single-shell tanks, corrosion

Hanford environment as related to radioactive waste burial grounds and transuranium waste storage facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, D.J.; Isaacson, R.E.

1977-06-01

A detailed characterization of the existing environment at Hanford was provided by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in the Final Environmental Statement, Waste Management Operations, Hanford Reservation, Richland, Washington, December 1975. Abbreviated discussions from that document are presented together with current data, as they pertain to radioactive waste burial grounds and interim transuranic (TRU) waste storage facilities. The discussions and data are presented in sections on geology, hydrology, ecology, and natural phenomena. (JRD)

Hanford environment as related to radioactive waste burial grounds and transuranium waste storage facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, D.J.; Isaacson, R.E.

1977-06-01

A detailed characterization of the existing environment at Hanford was provided by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) in the Final Environmental Statement, Waste Management Operations, Hanford Reservation, Richland, Washington, December 1975. Abbreviated discussions from that document are presented together with current data, as they pertain to radioactive waste burial grounds and interim transuranic (TRU) waste storage facilities. The discussions and data are presented in sections on geology, hydrology, ecology, and natural phenomena

Hanford Federal Facility state of Washington leased land

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-11-01

This report was prepared to provide information concerning past solid and hazardous waste management practices for all leased land at the US DOE Hanford Reservation. This report contains sections including land description; land usage; ground water, air and soil monitoring data; and land uses after 1963. Numerous appendices are included which provide documentation of lease agreements and amendments, environmental assessments, and site surveys.

Hanford Federal Facility state of Washington leased land

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-11-01

This report was prepared to provide information concerning past solid and hazardous waste management practices for all leased land at the US DOE Hanford Reservation. This report contains sections including land description; land usage; ground water, air and soil monitoring data; and land uses after 1963. Numerous appendices are included which provide documentation of lease agreements and amendments, environmental assessments, and site surveys

Hanford Site solid waste acceptance criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, N.P.; Triner, G.C.

1991-09-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company manages the Hanford Site solid waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities for the US Department of Energy Field Office, Richland under contract DE-AC06-87RL10930. These facilities include radioactive solid waste disposal sites, radioactive solid waste storage areas and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal facilities. This manual defines the criteria that must be met by waste generators for solid waste to be accepted by Westinghouse Hanford Company for treatment, storage and/or disposal facilities. It is to be used by all waste generators preparing radioactive solid waste for storage or disposal at the Hanford Site facilities and for all Hanford Site generators of hazardous waste. This manual is also intended for use by Westinghouse Hanford Company solid waste technical staff involved with approval and acceptance of solid waste. The criteria in this manual represent a compilation of state and federal regulations; US Department of Energy orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to management of solid waste. Where appropriate, these requirements are included in the manual by reference. It is the intent of this manual to provide guidance to the waste generator in meeting the applicable requirements

Providing an integrated waste management strategy and operation focused on project end states at the Hanford site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackford, L.

2009-01-01

CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) contractor responsible for the safe, environmental cleanup of the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site. The 586-square-mile Hanford Site is located along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington State. A plutonium production complex with nine nuclear reactors and associated processing facilities, Hanford played a pivotal role in the nation's defense for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1940's with the Manhattan Project. Today, under the direction of the DOE, Hanford is engaged in the world's largest environmental cleanup project. The Plateau Remediation Contract (PRC) is a 10-year project paving the way for closure of the Hanford Site through demolition of the Plutonium Finishing Plant; remediation of six burial grounds and 11 groundwater systems; treatment of 43.8 meters of sludge; and disposition of 8,200 meters of transuranic waste, 800 spent nuclear material containers, 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, and two reactors. The $4.5 billion project, funded through the U.S. DOE Office of Environmental Management, focuses equally on reducing risks to workers, the public, and the environment and on protecting the Columbia River. The DOE, which operates the Hanford Site, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) signed a comprehensive cleanup and compliance agreement on May 15, 1989. The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, or Tri-Party Agreement (TPA), is an agreement for achieving compliance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) remedial action provisions and with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) unit regulations and corrective action provisions . More specifically, the Tri-Party Agreement does the following: 1) defines and ranks CERCLA and RCRA cleanup commitments; 2) establishes

Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-05-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State has the most diverse and largest amount of highly radioactive waste of any site in the US. High-level radioactive waste has been stored in large underground tanks since 1944. A Tank Waste Remediation System Program has been established within the DOE to safely manage and immobilize these wastes in anticipation of permanent disposal in a geologic repository. The Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Waste Management 1993 Symposium Papers and Viewgraphs covered the following topics: Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Overview; Tank Waste Retrieval Issues and Options for their Resolution; Tank Waste Pretreatment - Issues, Alternatives and Strategies for Resolution; Low-Level Waste Disposal - Grout Issue and Alternative Waste Form Technology; A Strategy for Resolving High-Priority Hanford Site Radioactive Waste Storage Tank Safety Issues; Tank Waste Chemistry - A New Understanding of Waste Aging; Recent Results from Characterization of Ferrocyanide Wastes at the Hanford Site; Resolving the Safety Issue for Radioactive Waste Tanks with High Organic Content; Technology to Support Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Objectives

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rinne, C.A.; Curry, R.H.; Hagan, J.W.; Seiler, S.W.; Sommer, D.J.; Yancey, E.F.

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (Site Development Plan) is intended to guide the short- and long-range development and use of the Hanford Site. All acquisition, development, and permanent facility use at the Hanford Site will conform to the approved plan. The Site Development Plan also serves as the base document for all subsequent studies that involve use of facilities at the Site. This revision is an update of a previous plan. The executive summary presents the highlights of the five major topics covered in the Site Development Plan: general site information, existing conditions, planning analysis, Master Plan, and Five-Year Plan. 56 refs., 67 figs., 31 tabs

Hanford Site Development Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rinne, C.A.; Curry, R.H.; Hagan, J.W.; Seiler, S.W.; Sommer, D.J. (Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (USA)); Yancey, E.F. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA))

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (Site Development Plan) is intended to guide the short- and long-range development and use of the Hanford Site. All acquisition, development, and permanent facility use at the Hanford Site will conform to the approved plan. The Site Development Plan also serves as the base document for all subsequent studies that involve use of facilities at the Site. This revision is an update of a previous plan. The executive summary presents the highlights of the five major topics covered in the Site Development Plan: general site information, existing conditions, planning analysis, Master Plan, and Five-Year Plan. 56 refs., 67 figs., 31 tabs.

Integration of models for the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.

1991-01-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of emissions from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The objective of phase 1 of the project was to demonstrate through calculations that adequate models and support data exist or could be developed to allow realistic estimations of doses to individuals from releases of radionuclides to the environment that occurred as long as 45 years ago. Much of the data used in phase 1 was preliminary; therefore, the doses calculated must be considered preliminary approximations. This paper describes the integration of various models that was implemented for initial computer calculations. Models were required for estimating the quantity of radioactive material released, for evaluating its transport through the environment, for estimating human exposure, and for evaluating resultant doses

NHC's contribution to cleanup of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauve, H.D.

1998-01-01

The one billion dollars per year Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC), managed by Fluor Daniel Hanford, calls for cleanup of the Hanford Site for the Department of Energy. Project Hanford comprises four major subprojects, each managed by a different major contractor. Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC) is a fifth major subcontractor which provides energy and technology to each of the Hanford projects. NHC draws on the experience and capabilities of its parent companies, COGEMA and SGN, and relies on local support from its sister Company in Richland, COGEMA Engineering Corporation, to bring the best commercial practices and new technology to the Project

A Review of Iron Phosphate Glasses and Recommendations for Vitrifying Hanford Waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delbert E. Ray; Chandra S. Ray

2013-11-01

This report contains a comprehensive review of the research conducted, world-wide, on iron phosphate glass over the past ~30 years. Special attention is devoted to those iron phosphate glass compositions which have been formulated for the purpose of vitrifying numerous types of nuclear waste, with special emphasis on the wastes stored in the underground tanks at Hanford WA. Data for the structural, chemical, and physical properties of iron phosphate waste forms are reviewed for the purpose of understanding their (a) outstanding chemical durability which meets all current DOE requirements, (b) high waste loadings which can exceed 40 wt% (up to 75 wt%) for several Hanford wastes, (c) low melting temperatures, can be as low as 900°C for certain wastes, and (d) high tolerance for “problem” waste components such as sulfates, halides, and heavy metals (chromium, actinides, noble metals, etc.). Several recommendations are given for actions that are necessary to smoothly integrate iron phosphate glass technology into the present waste treatment plans and vitrification facilities at Hanford.

Hanford Site Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-11-17

This manual defines the Hanford Site radioactive, hazardous, and sanitary solid waste acceptance criteria. Criteria in the manual represent a guide for meeting state and federal regulations; DOE Orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to acceptance of radioactive and hazardous solid waste at the Hanford Site. It is not the intent of this manual to be all inclusive of the regulations; rather, it is intended that the manual provide the waste generator with only the requirements that waste must meet in order to be accepted at Hanford Site TSD facilities.

Hanford Site Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This manual defines the Hanford Site radioactive, hazardous, and sanitary solid waste acceptance criteria. Criteria in the manual represent a guide for meeting state and federal regulations; DOE Orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to acceptance of radioactive and hazardous solid waste at the Hanford Site. It is not the intent of this manual to be all inclusive of the regulations; rather, it is intended that the manual provide the waste generator with only the requirements that waste must meet in order to be accepted at Hanford Site TSD facilities

A study plan for determining recharge rates at the Hanford Site using environmental tracers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, E.M.; Szercsody, J.E.; Phillips, S.J.

1991-02-01

This report presents a study plan for estimating recharge at the Hanford Site using environmental tracers. Past operations at the Hanford Site have led to both soil and groundwater contamination, and recharge is one of the primary mechanisms for transporting contaminants through the vadose zone and into the groundwater. An alternative to using fixed lysimeters for determining recharge rates in the vadose zone is to use environmental tracers. Tracers that have been used to study water movement in the vadose zone include total chloride, 36 Cl, 3 H, and 2 H/ 18 O. Atmospheric levels of 36 Cl and 3 H increased during nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific, and the resulting ''bomb pulse'' or peak concentration can be measured in the soil profile. Locally, past operations at the Hanford Site have resulted in the atmospheric release of numerous chemical and isotopic tracers, including nitrate, 129 I, and 99 Tc. Seven study sites on the Hanford Site have been selected, in two primary soil types that are believed to represent the extremes in recharge, the Quincy sand and the Warden silt loam. An additional background study site upwind of the Hanford facilities has been chosen at the Yakima Firing Center. Six tracer techniques (total chloride, 36 Cl, 3 H, nitrate, 129 I, and 99 Tc) will be tested on at least one site in the Quincy sand, one site in the Warden silt loam, and the background site, to determine which combination of tracers works best for a given soil type. In subsequent years, additional sites will be investigated. The use of environmental tracers is perhaps the only cost-effective method for estimating the spatial variability of recharge at a site as large as Hanford. The tracer techniques used at Hanford have wide applicability at other arid sites. 166 refs., 41 figs., 16 tabs

Hanford Site baseline risk assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-03-01

This methodology has been developed to prepare human health and environmental evaluations of risk as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act remedial investigations (RIs) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act facility investigations (FIs) performed at the Hanford Site pursuant to the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement. Development of the methodology has been undertaken so that Hanford Site risk assessments are consistent with current regulations and guidance, while providing direction on flexible, ambiguous, or undefined aspects of the guidance. The methodology identifies Site-specific risk assessment considerations and integrates them with approaches for evaluating human and environmental risk that can be factored into the risk assessment program supporting the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Consequently, the methodology will enhance the preparation and review of individual risk assessments at the Hanford Site

Hanford Site 1998 Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

RL Dirkes; RW Hanf; TM Poston

1999-09-21

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1998 Hanford Site activities; present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, and groundwater protection and monitoring information; and discuss the activities to ensure quality.

Mobile hot cell transition design phase study for radioactive waste treatment on the Hanford reservation site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pons, Y.

2010-01-01

Full text of publication follows: At the US Department of Energy's Hanford Reservation site, 4 caissons in under ground storage contain approximately 23 cubic meters of Transuranic (TRU) waste, in over 5,000 small packages. The retrieval of these wastes presents a number of very difficult issues, including the configuration of the vaults, approximately 50,000 curies of activity, high dose rates, and damaged/degraded waste packages. The waste will require remote retrieval and processing sufficient to produce certifiable RH-TRU waste packages. This RH-TRU will be packaged for staging on site until certification by CCP is completed to authorize shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The project has introduced AREVA' s innovative Hot Mobile Cell (HMC) technology to perform size reduction, sorting, characterization, and packaging of the RH waste stream at the point of generation, the retrieval site in the field. This approach minimizes dose and hazard exposure to workers that is usually associated with this operation. The HMC can also be used to provide employee protection, weather protection, and capacity improvements similar to those realized in general burial ground. AREVA TA and his partner AFS will provide this technology based on the existing HMCs developed and operated in France: - ERFB (Bituminized Waste Drum Retrieval Facility): ERFB was built specifically for retrieving the bituminized waste drums (approximately 6,000 stored in trenches in the North zone on the Marcoule site (in operation since 2001). - ERCF (Waste Drum Recovery and Packaging Facility): The ERCF was built specifically to retrieve bituminized waste drums stored in 35 pits located in the south area on Marcoule site (in operation) - FOSSEA (Legacy Waste Removal and Trench Cleanup): The FOSSEA project consists of the retrieval of waste stored on the Basic Nuclear Facility. Waste from the 56 trenches will be inspected, characterised, and if necessary processed or repackaged, and

Hanford Site ground-water surveillance for 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, J.C.; Bryce, R.W.; Bates, D.J.; Kemner, M.L.

1990-06-01

This annual report of ground-water surveillance activities provides discussions and listings of results for ground-water monitoring at the Hanford Site during 1989. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) assesses the impacts of Hanford operations on the environment for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The impact Hanford operations has on ground water is evaluated through the Hanford Site Ground-Water Surveillance program. Five hundred and sixty-seven wells were sampled during 1989 for Hanford ground-water monitoring activities. This report contains a listing of analytical results for calendar year (CY) 1989 for species of importance as potential contaminants. 30 refs., 29 figs,. 4 tabs

Packaging and transportation of radioactive liquid at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, R.J.

1995-02-01

Beginning in the 1940's, radioactive liquid waste has been generated at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site as a result of defense material production. The liquid waste is currently stored in 177 underground storage tanks. As part of the tank remediation efforts, Type B quantity packagings for the transport of large volumes of radioactive liquids are required. There are very few Type B liquid packagings in existence because of the rarity of large-volume radioactive liquid payloads in the commercial nuclear industry. Development of aboveground transport systems for large volumes of radioactive liquids involves institutional, economic, and technical issues. Although liquid shipments have taken place under DOE-approved controlled conditions within the boundaries of the Hanford Site for many years, offsite shipment requires compliance with DOE, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and US Department of Transportation (DOT) directives and regulations. At the present time, no domestic DOE nor NRC-certified Type B packagings with the appropriate level of shielding are available for DOT-compliant transport of radioactive liquids in bulk volumes. This paper will provide technical details regarding current methods used to transport such liquids on and off the Hanford Site, and will provide a status of packaging development programs for future liquid shipments

A One System Integrated Approach to Simulant Selection for Hanford High Level Waste Mixing and Sampling Tests - 13342

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thien, Mike G. [Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC, P.O Box 850, Richland WA, 99352 (United States); Barnes, Steve M. [Waste Treatment Plant, 2435 Stevens Center Place, Richland WA 99354 (United States)

2013-07-01

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capabilities using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HLW) formulations. This represents one of the largest remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. Previous testing has focused on very specific TOC or WTP test objectives and consequently the simulants were narrowly focused on those test needs. A key attribute in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2010-2 is to ensure testing is performed with a simulant that represents the broad spectrum of Hanford waste. The One System Integrated Project Team is a new joint TOC and WTP organization intended to ensure technical integration of specific TOC and WTP systems and testing. A new approach to simulant definition has been mutually developed that will meet both TOC and WTP test objectives for the delivery and receipt of HLW. The process used to identify critical simulant characteristics, incorporate lessons learned from previous testing, and identify specific simulant targets that ensure TOC and WTP testing addresses the broad spectrum of Hanford waste characteristics that are important to mixing, sampling, and transfer performance are described. (authors)

A One System Integrated Approach to Simulant Selection for Hanford High Level Waste Mixing and Sampling Tests - 13342

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thien, Mike G.; Barnes, Steve M.

2013-01-01

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) and the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) contractor are both engaged in demonstrating mixing, sampling, and transfer system capabilities using simulated Hanford High-Level Waste (HLW) formulations. This represents one of the largest remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. Previous testing has focused on very specific TOC or WTP test objectives and consequently the simulants were narrowly focused on those test needs. A key attribute in the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) Recommendation 2010-2 is to ensure testing is performed with a simulant that represents the broad spectrum of Hanford waste. The One System Integrated Project Team is a new joint TOC and WTP organization intended to ensure technical integration of specific TOC and WTP systems and testing. A new approach to simulant definition has been mutually developed that will meet both TOC and WTP test objectives for the delivery and receipt of HLW. The process used to identify critical simulant characteristics, incorporate lessons learned from previous testing, and identify specific simulant targets that ensure TOC and WTP testing addresses the broad spectrum of Hanford waste characteristics that are important to mixing, sampling, and transfer performance are described. (authors)

Evaluation of thyroid radioactivity measurement data from Hanford workers, 1944--1946

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ikenberry, T.A.

1991-05-01

This report describes the preliminary results of an evaluation conducted in support of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project. The primary objective of the HEDR Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from nuclear operations at the Hanford Site since 1944. A secondary objective is to make information that HEDR staff members used in estimate radiation doses available to the public. The objectives of this report to make available thyroid measurement data from Hanford workers for the year 1944 through 1946, and to investigate the suitability of those data for use in the HEDR dose estimation process. An important part of this investigation was to provide a description of the uncertainty associated with the data. Lack of documentation on thyroid measurements from this period required that assumptions be made to perform data evaluations. These assumptions introduce uncertainty into the evaluations that could be significant. It is important to recognize the nature of these assumptions, the inherent uncertainty, and the propagation of this uncertainty, and the propagation of this uncertainty through data evaluations to any conclusions that can be made by using the data. 15 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs.

HANFORD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NEEDS STATEMENTS 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WIBLE, R.A.

2002-04-01

This document: (a) provides a comprehensive listing of the Hanford sites science and technology needs for fiscal year (FY) 2002; and (b) identifies partnering and commercialization opportunities within industry, other federal and state agencies, and the academic community. These needs were prepared by the Hanford projects (within the Project Hanford Management Contract, the Environmental Restoration Contract and the River Protection Project) and subsequently reviewed and endorsed by the Hanford Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG). The STCG reviews included participation of DOE-RL and DOE-ORP Management, site stakeholders, state and federal regulators, and Tribal Nations. These needs are reviewed and updated on an annual basis and given a broad distribution.

Pollution prevention opportunity assessments at Hanford

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Betsch, M.D., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-06-26

The Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) is a pro- active way to look at a waste generating activity and identify opportunities to minimize wastes through a cost benefit analysis. Hanford`s PPOA process is based upon the graded approach developed by the Kansas City Plant. Hanford further streamlined the process while building in more flexibility for the individual users. One of the most challenging aspects for implementing the PPOA process at Hanford is one overall mission which is environmental restoration, Now that the facilities are no longer in production, each has a different non- routine activity making it difficult to quantify the inputs and outputs of the activity under consideration.

Hanford Sitewide Groundwater Remediation Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knepp, A.J.; Isaacs, J.D.

1997-09-01

This document fulfills the requirements of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, Milestone M-13-81, to develop a concise statement of strategy that describe show the Hanford Site groundwater remediation will be accomplished. The strategy addresses objectives and goals, prioritization of activities, and technical approaches for groundwater cleanup. The strategy establishes that the overall goal of groundwater remediation on the Hanford Site is to restore groundwater to its beneficial uses in terms of protecting human health and the environment, and its use as a natural resource. The Hanford Future Site Uses Working Group established two categories for groundwater commensurate with various proposed landuses: (1) restricted use or access to groundwater in the Central Plateau and in a buffer zone surrounding it and (2) unrestricted use or access to groundwater for all other areas. In recognition of the Hanford Future Site Uses Working Group and public values, the strategy establishes that the sitewide approach to groundwater cleanup is to remediate the major plumes found in the reactor areas that enter the Columbia River and to contain the spread and reduce the mass of the major plumes found in the Central Plateau

An Integrated Biological Control System At Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.R.; Caudill, J.G.; Giddings, R.F.; Rodriguez, J.M.; Roos, R.C.; Wilde, J.W.

2010-01-01

In 1999 an integrated biological control system was instituted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Successes and changes to the program needed to be communicated to a large and diverse mix of organizations and individuals. Efforts at communication are directed toward the following: Hanford Contractors (Liquid or Tank Waste, Solid Waste, Environmental Restoration, Science and Technology, Site Infrastructure), General Hanford Employees, and Hanford Advisory Board (Native American Tribes, Environmental Groups, Local Citizens, Washington State and Oregon State regulatory agencies). Communication was done through direct interface meetings, individual communication, where appropriate, and broadly sharing program reports. The objectives of the communication efforts was to have the program well coordinated with Hanford contractors, and to have the program understood well enough that all stakeholders would have confidence in the work performed by the program to reduce or elimate spread of radioactive contamination by biotic vectors. Communication of successes and changes to an integrated biological control system instituted in 1999 at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site have required regular interfaces with not only a diverse group of Hanford contractors (i.e., those responsible for liquid or tank waste, solid wastes, environmental restoration, science and technology, and site infrastructure), and general Hanford employees, but also with a consortium of designated stake holders organized as the Hanford Advisory Board (i.e., Native American tribes, various environmental groups, local citizens, Washington state and Oregon regulatory agencies, etc.). Direct interface meetings, individual communication where appropriate, and transparency of the biological control program were the methods and outcome of this effort.

AN INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL CONTROL SYSTEM AT HANFORD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JOHNSON AR; CAUDILL JG; GIDDINGS RF; RODRIGUEZ JM; ROOS RC; WILDE JW

2010-02-11

In 1999 an integrated biological control system was instituted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Successes and changes to the program needed to be communicated to a large and diverse mix of organizations and individuals. Efforts at communication are directed toward the following: Hanford Contractors (Liquid or Tank Waste, Solid Waste, Environmental Restoration, Science and Technology, Site Infrastructure), General Hanford Employees, and Hanford Advisory Board (Native American Tribes, Environmental Groups, Local Citizens, Washington State and Oregon State regulatory agencies). Communication was done through direct interface meetings, individual communication, where appropriate, and broadly sharing program reports. The objectives of the communication efforts was to have the program well coordinated with Hanford contractors, and to have the program understood well enough that all stakeholders would have confidence in the work performed by the program to reduce or elimated spread of radioactive contamination by biotic vectors. Communication of successes and changes to an integrated biological control system instituted in 1999 at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site have required regular interfaces with not only a diverse group of Hanford contractors (i.e., those responsible for liquid or tank waste, solid wastes, environmental restoration, science and technology, and site infrastructure), and general Hanford employees, but also with a consortium of designated stake holders organized as the Hanford Advisory Board (i.e., Native American tribes, various environmental groups, local citizens, Washington state and Oregon regulatory agencies, etc.). Direct interface meetings, individual communication where appropriate, and transparency of the biological control program were the methods and outcome of this effort.

Hanford Waste Management Plan, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is to provide an integrated plan for the safe storage, interim management, and disposal of existing waste sites and current and future waste streams at the Hanford Site. The emphasis of this plan is, however, on the disposal of Hanford Site waste. The plans presented in the HWMP are consistent with the preferred alternative which is based on consideration of comments received from the public and agencies on the draft Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement (HDW-EIS). Low-level waste was not included in the draft HDW-EIS whereas it is included in this plan. The preferred alternative includes disposal of double-shell tank waste, retrievably stored and newly generated TRU waste, one pre-1970 TRU solid waste site near the Columbia River and encapsulated cesium and strontium waste

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poston, TM; Hanf, RW; Dirkes, RL

2000-01-01

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: (1) describe the Hanford Site and its mission; (2) summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; (3) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; (4) discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1999 Hanford Site activities; (5) present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, groundwater protection and monitoring information; and (6) discuss the activities to ensure quality

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

TM Poston; RW Hanf; RL Dirkes

2000-09-28

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: (1) describe the Hanford Site and its mission; (2) summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; (3) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; (4) discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1999 Hanford Site activities; (5) present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, groundwater protection and monitoring information; and (6) discuss the activities to ensure quality.

Porter with nuclear reservations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, W.

1978-01-01

The Ontario Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning, chaired by Arthur Porter is reviewed. This interim report on nuclear power is relevant to nuclear power planning far beyond the confines of Ontario and discusses nuclear issues in the explicit context of electricity generation and use. Problems considered in the report include safety aspects of uranium mining, milling, and spent fuel disposal, the economic issues which affect nuclear planning and nuclear industry, and the proliferation issue. (U.K.)

Transportation risk assessment of radioactive wastes generated by the N-Reactor stabilization program at the Hanford Site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wheeler, T.

1994-12-01

The potential radiological and nonradiological risks associated with specific radioactive waste shipping campaigns at the Hanford Site are estimated. The shipping campaigns analyzed are associated with the transportation of wastes from the N-Reactor site at the 200-W Area, both within the Hanford Reservation, for disposal. The analysis is based on waste that would be generated from the N-Reactor stabilization program

History of Hanford Site Defense Production (Brief)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER, M S

2001-02-01

This paper acquaints the audience with the history of the Hanford Site, America's first full-scale defense plutonium production site. The paper includes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War II construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), a brief production spurt from 1984-86, the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of the waste cleanup mission. The paper also delineates historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, past efforts to chemically treat, ''fractionate,'' and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes, and resulting major waste legacies that remain today. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history.

History of Hanford Site Defense Production (Brief)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER, M.S.

2001-01-01

This paper acquaints the audience with the history of the Hanford Site, America's first full-scale defense plutonium production site. The paper includes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War II construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), a brief production spurt from 1984-86, the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of the waste cleanup mission. The paper also delineates historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, past efforts to chemically treat, ''fractionate,'' and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes, and resulting major waste legacies that remain today. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history

Near field chemical speciation: the reaction of uranium and thorium with Hanford basalt and elevated pH

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perry, D.L.

1984-01-01

The hydrolysis of radionuclides such as thorium and uranium and their subsequent chemisorption on Hanford basalt have been studied using a variety of techniques, including x-ray photoelectron and infrared spectroscopy. Data obtained to date indicate mixed complexes of uranium and thorium to be on the basalt surface, the complexes being radionuclide oxides, hydrated oxides (hydroxides), and carbonates. These findings are discussed with respect to their importance for input for models describing speciation and dissolution processes involving nuclear waste repository materials such as Hanford basalt. 5 figures, 2 tables

Vascular Plants of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackschewsky, Michael R.; Downs, Janelle L.

2001-01-01

This report provides an updated listing of the vascular plants present on and near the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. This document is an update of a listing of plants prepared by Sackschewdky et al. in 1992. Since that time there has been a significant increase in the botanical knowledge of the Hanford Site. The present listing is based on an examination of herbarium collections held at PNNL, at WSU-Tri Cities, WSU-Pullman, Brigham Young University, and The University of Washington, and on examination of ecological literature derived from the Hanford and Benton county areas over the last 100 years. Based on the most recent analysis, there are approximately 725 different plant species that have been documented on or around the Hanford Site. This represents an approximate 20% increase in the number of species reported within Sackschewsky et al. (1992). This listing directly supports DOE and contractor efforts to assess the potential impacts of Hanford Site operations

Criticality Safety Evaluation of Hanford Site High Level Waste Storage Tanks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ROGERS, C.A.

2000-02-17

This criticality safety evaluation covers operations for waste in underground storage tanks at the high-level waste tank farms on the Hanford site. This evaluation provides the bases for criticality safety limits and controls to govern receipt, transfer, and long-term storage of tank waste. Justification is provided that a nuclear criticality accident cannot occur for tank farms operations, based on current fissile material and operating conditions.

Criticality Safety Evaluation of Hanford Site High-Level Waste Storage Tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ROGERS, C.A.

2000-01-01

This criticality safety evaluation covers operations for waste in underground storage tanks at the high-level waste tank farms on the Hanford site. This evaluation provides the bases for criticality safety limits and controls to govern receipt, transfer, and long-term storage of tank waste. Justification is provided that a nuclear criticality accident cannot occur for tank farms operations, based on current fissile material and operating conditions

Hand calculation of safe separation distances between natural gas pipelines and boilers and nuclear facilities in the Hanford site 300 Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daling, P.M.; Graham, T.M.

1999-01-01

The US Department of Energy has undertaken a project to reduce energy expenditures and improve energy system reliability in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. This project replaced the centralized heating system with heating units for individual buildings or groups of buildings, constructed a new natural-gas distribution system to provide a fuel source for many of these units, and constructed a central control building to operate and maintain the system. The individual heating units include steam boilers that are housed in individual annex buildings located in the vicinity of a number of nuclear facilities operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The described analysis develops the basis for siting the package boilers and natural-gas distribution system used to supply steam to PNNL's 300 Area nuclear facilities. Minimum separation distances that would eliminate or reduce the risks of accidental dispersal of radioactive and hazardous materials in nearby nuclear facilities were calculated based on the effects of four potential fire and explosion (detonation) scenarios involving the boiler and natural-gas distribution system. These minimum separation distances were used to support siting decisions for the boilers and natural-gas pipelines

Hanford Patrol Academy demolition sites closure plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-09-30

The Hanford Site is owned by the U.S. Government and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office. Westinghouse Hanford Company is a major contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office and serves as co-operator of the Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites, the unit addressed in this paper. This document consists of a Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Part A Permit Application, Form 3 (Revision 4), and a closure plan for the site. An explanation of the Part A Form 3 submitted with this closure plan is provided at the beginning of the Part A section. This Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites Closure Plan submittal contains information current as of December 15, 1994.

A historical review of portable health physics instruments and their use in radiation protection programs at Hanford, 1944 through 1988

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howell, W.P.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Kress, M.L.; Swinth, K.L.; Corbit, C.D.; Zuerner, L.V.; Fleming, D.M.; DeHaven, H.W.

1989-09-01

This historical review covers portable health physics instruments at Hanford from an applications viewpoint. The review provides information on specific instruments and on the general kinds of facility work environments in which the instruments have been and are being used. It provides a short, modestly technical explanation of the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of detection media used in portable health physics instruments. This document does not, however, cover the history of the entire Hanford program that was required to develop and/or modify the subject instruments. 11 refs., 34 figs., 2 tabs.

A historical review of portable health physics instruments and their use in radiation protection programs at Hanford, 1944 through 1988

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howell, W.P.; Kenoyer, J.L.; Kress, M.L.; Swinth, K.L.; Corbit, C.D.; Zuerner, L.V.; Fleming, D.M.; DeHaven, H.W.

1989-09-01

This historical review covers portable health physics instruments at Hanford from an applications viewpoint. The review provides information on specific instruments and on the general kinds of facility work environments in which the instruments have been and are being used. It provides a short, modestly technical explanation of the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of nuclear radiations, the way radiation units are quantified, and the types of detection media used in portable health physics instruments. This document does not, however, cover the history of the entire Hanford program that was required to develop and/or modify the subject instruments. 11 refs., 34 figs., 2 tabs

List of currently classified documents relative to Hanford Production Facilities Operations originated on the Hanford Site between 1961 and 1972

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-04-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has declared that all Hanford plutonium production- and operations-related information generated between 1944 and 1972 is declassified. Any documents found and deemed useful for meeting Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) objectives may be declassified with or without deletions in accordance with DOE guidance by Authorized Derivative Declassifiers. The September 1992, letter report, Declassifications Requested by the Technical Steering Panel of Hanford Documents Produced 1944--1960, (PNWD-2024 HEDR UC-707), provides an important milestone toward achieving a complete listing of documents that may be useful to the HEDR Project. The attached listing of approximately 7,000 currently classified Hanford-originated documents relative to Hanford Production Facilities Operations between 1961 and 1972 fulfills TSP Directive 89-3. This list does not include such titles as the Irradiation Processing Department, Chemical Processing Department, and Hanford Laboratory Operations monthly reports generated after 1960 which have been previously declassified with minor deletions and made publicly available. Also Kaiser Engineers Hanford (KEH) Document Control determined that no KEH documents generated between January 1, 1961 and December 31, 1972 are currently classified. Titles which address work for others have not been included because Hanford Site contractors currently having custodial responsibility for these documents do not have the authority to determine whether other than their own staff have on file an appropriate need-to-know. Furthermore, these documents do not normally contain information relative to Hanford Site operations.

HANFORD SITE RIVER CORRIDOR CLEANUP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAZZELL, K.D.

2006-01-01

In 2005, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the third generation of closure contracts, including the River Corridor Closure (RCC) Contract at Hanford. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made on cleaning up the river shore that bordes Hanford. However, the most important cleanup challenges lie ahead. In March 2005, DOE awarded the Hanford River Corridor Closure Contract to Washington Closure Hanford (WCH), a limited liability company owned by Washington Group International, Bechtel National and CH2M HILL. It is a single-purpose company whose goal is to safely and efficiently accelerate cleanup in the 544 km 2 Hanford river corridor and reduce or eliminate future obligations to DOE for maintaining long-term stewardship over the site. The RCC Contract is a cost-plus-incentive-fee closure contract, which incentivizes the contractor to reduce cost and accelerate the schedule. At $1.9 billion and seven years, WCH has accelerated cleaning up Hanford's river corridor significantly compared to the $3.2 billion and 10 years originally estimated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Predictable funding is one of the key features of the new contract, with funding set by contract at $183 million in fiscal year (FY) 2006 and peaking at $387 million in FY2012. Another feature of the contract allows for Washington Closure to perform up to 40% of the value of the contract and subcontract the balance. One of the major challenges in the next few years will be to identify and qualify sufficient subcontractors to meet the goal

Analysis of Hanford-based Options for Sustainable DOE Facilities on the West Coast

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warwick, William M.

2012-06-30

Large-scale conventional energy projects result in lower costs of energy (COE). This is true for most renewable energy projects as well. The Office of Science is interested in its facilities meeting the renewable energy mandates set by Congress and the Administration. Those facilities on the west coast include a cluster in the Bay Area of California and at Hanford in central Washington State. Land constraints at the California facilities do not permit large scale projects. The Hanford Reservation has land and solar insolation available for a large scale solar project as well as access to a regional transmission system that can provide power to facilities in California. The premise of this study is that a large-scale solar project at Hanford may be able to provide renewable energy sufficient to meet the needs of select Office of Science facilities on the west coast at a COE that is competitive with costs in California despite the lower solar insolation values at Hanford. The study concludes that although the cost of solar projects continues to decline, estimated costs for a large-scale project at Hanford are still not competitive with avoided power costs for Office of Science facilities on the west coast. Further, although it is possible to transmit power from a solar project at Hanford to California facilities, the costs of doing so add additional costs. Consequently, development of a large- scale solar project at Hanford to meet the renewable goals of Office of Science facilities on the west coast is currently uneconomic. This may change as solar costs decrease and California-based facilities face increasing costs for conventional and renewable energy produced in the state. PNNL should monitor those cost trends.

N reactor individual risk comparison to quantitative nuclear safety goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, O.S.; Rainey, T.E.; Zentner, M.D.

1990-01-01

A full-scope level III probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) has been completed for N reactor, a US Department of Energy (DOE) production reactor located on the Hanford Reservation in the state of Washington. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) provided the technical leadership for this work, using the state-of-the-art NUREG-1150 methodology developed for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The main objectives of this effort were to assess the risks to the public and to the on-site workers posed by the operation of N reactor, to identify changes to the plant that could reduce the overall risk, and to compare those risks to the proposed NRC and DOE quantitative safety goals. This paper presents the methodology adopted by Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) and SNL for individual health risk evaluation, its results, and a comparison to the NRC safety objectives and the DOE nuclear safety guidelines. The N reactor results, are also compared with the five NUREG-1150 nuclear plants. Only internal events are compared here because external events are not yet reported in the current draft NUREG-1150. This is the first full-scope level III PRA study with a detailed quantitative safety goal comparison performed for DOE production reactors

Research on jet mixing of settled sludges in nuclear waste tanks at Hanford and other DOE sites: A historical perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Powell, M.R.; Onishi, Y.; Shekarriz, R.

1997-09-01

Jet mixer pumps will be used in the Hanford Site double-shell tanks to mobilize and mix the settled solids layer (sludge) with the tank supernatant liquid. Predicting the performance of the jet mixer pumps has been the subject of analysis and testing at Hanford and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) waste sites. One important aspect of mixer pump performance is sludge mobilization. The research that correlates mixer pump design and operation with the extent of sludge mobilization is the subject of this report. Sludge mobilization tests have been conducted in tanks ranging from 1/25-scale (3 ft-diameter) to full scale have been conducted at Hanford and other DOE sites over the past 20 years. These tests are described in Sections 3.0 and 4.0 of this report. The computational modeling of sludge mobilization and mixing that has been performed at Hanford is discussed in Section 5.0.

Research on jet mixing of settled sludges in nuclear waste tanks at Hanford and other DOE sites: A historical perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powell, M.R.; Onishi, Y.; Shekarriz, R.

1997-09-01

Jet mixer pumps will be used in the Hanford Site double-shell tanks to mobilize and mix the settled solids layer (sludge) with the tank supernatant liquid. Predicting the performance of the jet mixer pumps has been the subject of analysis and testing at Hanford and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) waste sites. One important aspect of mixer pump performance is sludge mobilization. The research that correlates mixer pump design and operation with the extent of sludge mobilization is the subject of this report. Sludge mobilization tests have been conducted in tanks ranging from 1/25-scale (3 ft-diameter) to full scale have been conducted at Hanford and other DOE sites over the past 20 years. These tests are described in Sections 3.0 and 4.0 of this report. The computational modeling of sludge mobilization and mixing that has been performed at Hanford is discussed in Section 5.0

The Hanford Site focus, 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, J.M.

1994-03-01

This report describes what the Hanford Site will look like in the next two years. We offer thumbnail sketches of Hanford Site programs and the needs we are meeting through our efforts. We describe our goals, some recent accomplishments, the work we will do in fiscal year (FY) 1994, the major activities the FY 1995 budget request covers, and the economic picture in the next few years. The Hanford Site budget shows the type of work being planned. US Department of Energy (DOE) sites like the Hanford Site use documents called Activity Data Sheets to meet this need. These are building blocks that are included in the budget. Each Activity Data Sheet is a concise (usually 4 or 5 pages) summary of a piece of work funded by the DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management budget. Each sheet describes a waste management or environmental restoration need over a 5-year period; related regulatory requirements and agreements; and the cost, milestones, and steps proposed to meet the need. The Hanford Site is complex and has a huge budget, and its Activity Data Sheets run to literally thousands of pages. This report summarizes the Activity Data Sheets in a less detailed and much more reader-friendly fashion

Interim Hanford Waste Management Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-09-01

The September 1985 Interim Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is the third revision of this document. In the future, the HWMP will be updated on an annual basis or as major changes in disposal planning at Hanford Site require. The most significant changes in the program since the last release of this document in December 1984 include: (1) Based on studies done in support of the Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement (HDW-EIS), the size of the protective barriers covering contaminated soil sites, solid waste burial sites, and single-shell tanks has been increased to provide a barrier that extends 30 m beyond the waste zone. (2) As a result of extensive laboratory development and plant testing, removal of transuranic (TRU) elements from PUREX cladding removal waste (CRW) has been initiated in PUREX. (3) The level of capital support in years beyond those for which specific budget projections have been prepared (i.e., fiscal year 1992 and later) has been increased to maintain Hanford Site capability to support potential future missions, such as the extension of N Reactor/PUREX operations. The costs for disposal of Hanford Site defense wastes are identified in four major areas in the HWMP: waste storage and surveillance, technology development, disposal operations, and capital expenditures

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reidel, Steve P.; Rohay, Alan C.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Sweeney, Mark D.

2005-09-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. For the Hanford Seismic Network, there were 337 triggers during the third quarter of fiscal year 2005. Of these triggers, 20 were earthquakes within the Hanford Seismic Network. The largest earthquake within the Hanford Seismic Network was a magnitude 1.3 event May 25 near Vantage, Washington. During the third quarter, stratigraphically 17 (85%) events occurred in the Columbia River basalt (approximately 0-5 km), no events in the pre-basalt sediments (approximately 5-10 km), and three (15%) in the crystalline basement (approximately 10-25 km). During the first quarter, geographically five (20%) earthquakes occurred in swarm areas, 10 (50%) earthquakes were associated with a major geologic structure, and 5 (25%) were classified as random events.

Lessons Learned From The 200 West Pump And Treatment Facility Construction Project At The US DOE Hanford Site - A Leadership For Energy And Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-Certified Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorr, Kent A.; Ostrom, Michael J.; Freeman-Pollard, Jhivaun R.

2012-01-01

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) designed, constructed, commissioned, and began operation of the largest groundwater pump and treatment facility in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) nationwide complex. This one-of-a-kind groundwater pump and treatment facility, located at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site (Hanford Site) in Washington State, was built in an accelerated manner with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and has attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) GOLD certification, which makes it the first non-administrative building in the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex to earn such an award. There were many contractual, technical, configuration management, quality, safety, and LEED challenges associated with the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of this $95 million, 52,000 ft groundwater pump and treatment facility. This paper will present the Project and LEED accomplishments, as well as Lessons Learned by CHPRC when additional ARRA funds were used to accelerate design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the 200 West Groundwater Pump and Treatment (2W PandT) Facility to meet DOE's mission of treating contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site with a new facility by June 28, 2012

Lessons Learned From The 200 West Pump And Treatment Facility Construction Project At The US DOE Hanford Site - A Leadership For Energy And Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-Certified Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dorr, Kent A. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States); Ostrom, Michael J. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States); Freeman-Pollard, Jhivaun R. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States)

2012-11-14

CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) designed, constructed, commissioned, and began operation of the largest groundwater pump and treatment facility in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) nationwide complex. This one-of-a-kind groundwater pump and treatment facility, located at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site (Hanford Site) in Washington State, was built in an accelerated manner with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and has attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) GOLD certification, which makes it the first non-administrative building in the DOE Office of Environmental Management complex to earn such an award. There were many contractual, technical, configuration management, quality, safety, and LEED challenges associated with the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of this $95 million, 52,000 ft groundwater pump and treatment facility. This paper will present the Project and LEED accomplishments, as well as Lessons Learned by CHPRC when additional ARRA funds were used to accelerate design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of the 200 West Groundwater Pump and Treatment (2W P&T) Facility to meet DOE's mission of treating contaminated groundwater at the Hanford Site with a new facility by June 28, 2012.

Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Product Acceptance Test Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peeler, D.

1999-01-01

'The Hanford Site has been used to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste, largely generated during Pu production, exists in 177 underground single- and double-shell tanks. These wastes are to be retrieved and separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions. The DOE is proceeding with an approach to privatize the treatment and immobilization of Handord''s LAW and HLW.'

Integrated program management for major nuclear decommissioning and environmental remediation projects - 59068

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehew, John

2012-01-01

Document available in abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M HILL) is the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) contractor responsible for the safe, environmental cleanup of the Hanford Sites Central Plateau, sections of the Columbia River Corridor and the Hanford Reach National Monument. The 586-square-mile Hanford Site is located along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington, U.S.A. A plutonium production complex, housing the largest volume of radioactive and contaminated waste in the nation, with nine nuclear reactors and associated processing facilities, Hanford played a pivotal role in the nation's defense for more than 40 years, beginning in the 1940's with the Manhattan Project. Today, under the direction of the DOE, Hanford is engaged in one of the world's largest environmental cleanup project. The Plateau Remediation Contract is a 10-year project paving the way for closure of the Hanford Site. The site through its location, climate, geology and proximity to the Columbia River in combination with the results of past nuclear operations presents a highly complex environmental remediation challenge. The complexity is not only due to the technical issues associated with decommissioning nuclear facilities, remediating soil contamination sites, dispositioning legacy waste and fuel materials and integrating these with the deep vadose zone and groundwater remediation

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant - the project and process systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swenson, L.D.; Miller, W.C.; Smith, R.A.

1990-01-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) project is scheduled to start construction on the Hanford reservation in southeastern Washington State in 1991. The project will immobilize the liquid high-level defense waste stored there. The HWVP represents the third phase of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) activities that are focused on the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste, building on the experience of Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River site, South Carolina, and of the West Valley Demonstration Plant (WVDP), New York. This sequential approach to disposal of the country's commercial and defense high-level radioactive waste allows HWVP to make extensive use of lessons learned from the experience of its predecessors, using mature designs from the earlier facilities to achieve economies in design and construction costs while enhancing operational effectiveness

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dirkes, R.L.; Hanf, R.W.; Woodruff, R.K. [eds.

1994-06-01

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet reporting requirements and Guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) an to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to (a) describe the Hanford Site and its mission, (b) summarize the status in 1993 of compliance with environmental regulations, (c) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site, (d) discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1993 Hanford activities, (e) present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, (f) discuss activities to ensure quality. More detailed information can be found in the body of the report, the appendixes, and the cited references.

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, R.L.; Hanf, R.W.; Woodruff, R.K.

1994-06-01

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet reporting requirements and Guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) an to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to (a) describe the Hanford Site and its mission, (b) summarize the status in 1993 of compliance with environmental regulations, (c) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site, (d) discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1993 Hanford activities, (e) present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, (f) discuss activities to ensure quality. More detailed information can be found in the body of the report, the appendixes, and the cited references

Hanford Area 2000 Population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, Douglas B.; Scott, Michael J.; Antonio, Ernest J.; Rhoads, Kathleen

2004-01-01

This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office, Surface Environmental Surveillance Project, to provide demographic data required for ongoing environmental assessments and safety analyses at the DOE Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. This document includes 2000 Census estimates for the resident population within an 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius of the Hanford Site. Population distributions are reported relative to five reference points centered on meteorological stations within major operating areas of the Hanford Site - the 100 F, 100 K, 200, 300, and 400 Areas. These data are presented in both graphical and tabular format, and are provided for total populations residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the reference points, as well as for Native American, Hispanic and Latino, total minority, and low-income populations

HANFORD TANK FARM RESOURCE CONSERVATION and RECOVERY ACT (RCRA) CORRECTIVE ACTION PROGRAM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KRISTOFZSKI, J.G.

2007-01-01

As a consequence of producing special nuclear material for the nation's defense, large amounts of extremely hazardous radioactive waste was created at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in south central Washington State. A little over 50 million gallons of this waste is now stored in 177 large, underground tanks on Hanford's Central Plateau in tank farms regulated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Resource, Conservation, and Recovery Act (RCRA). Over 60 tanks and associated infrastructure have released or are presumed to have released waste in the vadose zone. In 1998, DOE's Office of River Protection established the Hanford Tank Farm RCRA Corrective Action Program (RCAP) to: (1) characterize the distribution and extent of the existing vadose zone contamination; (2) determine how the contamination will move in the future; (3) estimate the impacts of this contamination on groundwater and other media; (4) develop and implement mitigative measures; and (5) develop corrective measures to be implemented as part of the final closure of the tank farm facilities. Since its creation, RCAP has made major advances in each of these areas, which will be discussed in this paper

Hanford site transuranic waste sampling plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GREAGER, T.M.

1999-01-01

This sampling plan (SP) describes the selection of containers for sampling of homogeneous solids and soil/gravel and for visual examination of transuranic and mixed transuranic (collectively referred to as TRU) waste generated at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The activities described in this SP will be conducted under the Hanford Site TRU Waste Certification Program. This SP is designed to meet the requirements of the Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (CAO-94-1010) (DOE 1996a) (QAPP), site-specific implementation of which is described in the Hanford Site Transuranic Waste Characterization Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (HNF-2599) (Hanford 1998b) (QAPP). The QAPP defines the quality assurance (QA) requirements and protocols for TRU waste characterization activities at the Hanford Site. In addition, the QAPP identifies responsible organizations, describes required program activities, outlines sampling and analysis strategies, and identifies procedures for characterization activities. The QAPP identifies specific requirements for TRU waste sampling plans. Table 1-1 presents these requirements and indicates sections in this SP where these requirements are addressed

Stack Flow Rate Changes and the ANSI/N13.1-1999 Qualification Criteria: Application to the Hanford Canister Storage Building Stack

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaherty, Julia E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Glissmeyer, John A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-02-29

The Canister Storage Building (CSB), located in the 200-East Area of the Hanford Site, is a 42,000 square foot facility used to store spent nuclear fuel from past activities at the Hanford Site. Because the facility has the potential to emit radionuclides into the environment, its ventilation exhaust stack has been equipped with an air monitoring system. Subpart H of the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants requires that a sampling probe be located in the exhaust stack in accordance with criteria established by the American National Standards Institute/Health Physics Society Standard N13.1-1999, Sampling and Monitoring Releases of Airborne Radioactive Substances from the Stack and Ducts of Nuclear Facilities.

Hanford inventory program user's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinkelman, K.C.

1994-01-01

Provides users with instructions and information about accessing and operating the Hanford Inventory Program (HIP) system. The Hanford Inventory Program is an integrated control system that provides a single source for the management and control of equipment, parts, and material warehoused by Westinghouse Hanford Company in various site-wide locations. The inventory is comprised of spare parts and equipment, shop stock, special tools, essential materials, and convenience storage items. The HIP replaced the following systems; ACA, ASP, PICS, FSP, WSR, STP, and RBO. In addition, HIP manages the catalog maintenance function for the General Supplies inventory stocked in the 1164 building and managed by WIMS

Establishing a predictive maintenance program at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Winslow, R.W.

1994-05-01

This document contains information about a new Predictive Maintenance Program being developed and implemented at the Hanford Reservation. Details of the document include: background on persons developing the program, history of predictive maintenance, implementation of new program, engineering task analysis, network development and new software, issues to be resolved, benefits expected, and appendix gives information about the symposium from which this paper is based

Site Support Program Plan for ICF Kaiser Hanford Company

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benedetti, R.L.

1994-10-01

This document describes the Hanford Reservation site support program plan for each support division, in terms of safety, environmental concerns, costs, and reliability. Support services include the following: Piped Utilities; Electrical utilities; transportation; Energy management; General Administration Support Buildings; electrical safety upgrades. Contained in this Volume II is information covering the following: Operations and maintenance Utilities; Piped Utilities; Water systems Administration and Sampling; electrical utilities

Hanford Site Composite Analysis Technical Approach Description: Hanford Site Disposition Baseline.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cobb, M. A. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States); Dockter, R. E. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States)

2017-10-02

The permeability of ground surfaces within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site strongly influences boundary conditions when simulating the movement of groundwater using the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases model. To conduct site-wide modeling of cumulative impacts to groundwater from past, current, and future waste management activities, a site-wide assessment of the permeability of surface conditions is needed. The surface condition of the vast majority of the Hanford Site has been and continues to be native soils vegetated with dryland grasses and shrubs.

1993 report on Hanford Site land disposal restrictions for mixed wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, D.

1993-04-01

Since the early 1940s, the contractors at the Hanford Site have been involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials. These production activities have resulted in the generation of large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive mixed waste (RMW). This waste is subject to regulation under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 2 (RCRA) and Atomic Energy Act 3 . This report covers mixed waste only. Hazardous waste that is not contaminated with radionuclides is not addressed in this report. The Washington State Department of Ecology, US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Department of Energy have entered into an agreement, the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order 1 (commonly referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement) to bring the Hanford Site operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement required development of the original land disposal restrictions (LDR) plan and its annual updates to comply with LDR requirements for RMW. This report is the third update of the plan first issued in 1990. The Tri-Party Agreement requires, and the baseline plan and annual update reports provide, the information that follows: Waste characterization information; storage data; treatment information; waste reduction information; schedule; and progress

Annual Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-12-29

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. During fiscal year 2008, the Hanford Seismic Network recorded 1431 triggers on the seismometer system, which included 112 seismic events in the southeast Washington area and an additional 422 regional and teleseismic events. There were 74 events determined to be local earthquakes relevant to the Hanford Site. The highest-magnitude event (3.7 Mc) occurred on May 18, 2008, and was located approximately 17 km east of Prosser at a depth of 20.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, 13 earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), 45 earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and 16 earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, 54 earthquakes were located in swarm areas and 20 earthquakes were classified as random events. The May 18 earthquake was the highest magnitude event recorded since 1975 in the vicinity of the Hanford Site (between 46 degrees and 47 degrees north latitude and

Environmental status of the Hanford Site for CY-1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sula, M.J.; Blumer, P.J.; Dirkes, R.L.

1982-08-01

Samples of air, surface water, soil, vegetation, and wildlife were collected and external penetrating radiation dose measurements were made in the vicinity of the major operating areas on the Hanford Site. The samples were analyzed for radioactive constituents including tritium, strontium-90, plutonium, and gamma-emitting radionuclides. In addition, site roads, railroad tracks, and burial grounds were surveyed periodically to detect any abnormal levels of radioactivity. Radioactive and nonradioactive waste discharges and environmentally related unusual occurrences reported for the major operating areas were reviewed and summarized. Results indicate that general levels of airborne particulate radioactivity in the Hanford environs were greater in 1981 than in recent years as a result of fallout from a foreign atmospheric nuclear test conducted in late 1980. Levels of radioactivity in airborne particulates began decreasing during the summer and by the end of the year had returned to levels observed prior to the test. Airborne strontium-90, plutonium, and tritium concentrations at the onsite sampling stations were not significantly different from background measurements. Radioiodine was not identified in any air sample during 1981. Strontium-90 and cesium-137 concentrations in B-Pond water were lower compared to levels observed during 1980. Analyses of tissue samples from several types of wildlife collected onsite continue to indicate that Hanford-produced radionuclides in some areas are accessible to wildlife. Several onsite soil and vegetation samples contained radionuclide concentrations above background levels. However, observed levels were similar to those reported in recent years

Low-level nuclear waste in Washington State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, H.

1986-01-01

A commercial disposal site for low-level nuclear wastes opened at Hanford in 1965. By 1971 a total of six were in operation: Hanford, Nevada, South Carolina, Kentucky, New York State, and Illinois. The history of the operation of these sites is described. Only the first three listed are still open. The effects of the large volumes of waste expected from Three Mile Island are described. This paper examines the case history of Hanford operations with low-level waste disposal for lessons that might apply in other states being considered for disposal sites

Hanford annual second quarter seismic report, fiscal year 1998: Seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.; Rohay, A.C.

1998-06-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (ENN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY98 for stations in the HSN was 99.92%. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY98 for stations of the EWRN was 99.46%. For the second quarter of FY98, the acquisition computer triggered 159 times. Of these triggers 14 were local earthquakes: 7 (50%) in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 3 (21%) in the pre-basalt sediments, and 4 (29%) in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report. The most significant seismic event for the second quarter was on March 23, 1998 when a 1.9 Mc occurred near Eltopia, WA and was felt by local residents. Although this was a small event, it was felt at the surface and is an indication of the potential impact on Hanford of seismic events that are common to the Site.

Historical research in the Hanford site waste cleanup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, Michele S.

1992-01-01

This paper will acquaint the audience with role of historical research in the Hanford Site waste cleanup - the largest waste cleanup endeavor ever undertaken in human history. There were no comparable predecessors to this massive waste remediation effort, but the Hanford historical record can provide a partial road map and guide. It can be, and is, a useful tool in meeting the goal of a successful, cost-effective, safe and technologically exemplary waste cleanup. The Hanford historical record is rich and complex. Yet, it poses difficult challenges, in that no central and complete repository or data base exists, records contain obscure code words and code numbers, and the measurement systems and terminology used in the records change many times over the years. Still, these records are useful to the current waste cleanup in technical ways, and in ways that extend beyond a strictly scientific aspect. Study and presentations of Hanford Site history contribute to the huge educational and outreach tasks of helping the Site's work force deal with 'culture change' and become motivated for the cleanup work that is ahead, and of helping the public and the regulators to place the events at Hanford in the context of WWII and the Cold War. This paper traces historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, and acquaints the audience with the generation of the major waste streams of concern in Hanford Site cleanup today. It presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. The earliest, 1940s knowledge base, assumptions and calculations about radioactive and chemical discharges, as discussed in the memos, correspondence and reports of the original Hanford Site (then Hanford Engineer Works) builders and operators, are reviewed. The growth of knowledge, research efforts, and subsequent changes in Site waste disposal policies and practices are traced. Examples of the strengths and limitations of the

Hanford coring bit temperature monitor development testing results report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rey, D.

1995-05-01

Instrumentation which directly monitors the temperature of a coring bit used to retrieve core samples of high level nuclear waste stored in tanks at Hanford was developed at Sandia National Laboratories. Monitoring the temperature of the coring bit is desired to enhance the safety of the coring operations. A unique application of mature technologies was used to accomplish the measurement. This report documents the results of development testing performed at Sandia to assure the instrumentation will withstand the severe environments present in the waste tanks

Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Product Acceptance Test Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peeler, D.

1999-06-22

'The Hanford Site has been used to produce nuclear materials for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessors. A large inventory of radioactive and mixed waste, largely generated during Pu production, exists in 177 underground single- and double-shell tanks. These wastes are to be retrieved and separated into low-activity waste (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions. The DOE is proceeding with an approach to privatize the treatment and immobilization of Handord''s LAW and HLW.'

Mortality studies of Hanford workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, E.S.

1986-04-01

Radiation exposures at Hanford have been deliberately limited as a protection to the worker. This means that if current estimates of radiation risks, which have been determined by national and international groups, are correct, it's highly unlikely that noticeable radiation-induced health effects will be identified among Hanford workers. 1 fig., 4 tabs

LESSONS LEARNED IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE HANFORD SWOC MASTER DOCUMENTED SAFETY ANALYSIS (MDSA) and IMPLEMENTATION VALIDATION REVIEW (IVR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MORENO, M.R.

2004-01-01

DOE set clear expectations on a cost-effective approach for achieving compliance with the Nuclear Safety Management requirements (20 CFR 830, Nuclear Safety Rule), which ensured long-term benefit to Hanford, via issuance of a nuclear safety strategy in February 2003. To facilitate implementation of these expectations, tools were developed to streamline and standardize safety analysis and safety document development with the goal of a shorter and more predictable DOE approval cycle. A Hanford Safety Analysis and Risk Assessment Handbook (SARAH) was approved to standardize methodologies for development of safety analyses. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (RADIDOSE) was approved for the evaluation of radiological consequences for accident scenarios often postulated at Hanford. Standard safety management program chapters were approved for use as a means of compliance with the programmatic chapters of DOE-STD-3009, ''Preparation Guide for U.S. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Safety Analysis Reports''. An in-process review was developed between DOE and the Contractor to facilitate DOE approval and provide early course correction. The new Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) developed to address the operations of four facilities within the Solid Waste Operations Complex (SWOC) necessitated development of an Implementation Validation Review (IVR) process. The IVR process encompasses the following objectives: safety basis controls and requirements are adequately incorporated into appropriate facility documents and work instructions, facility personnel are knowledgeable of controls and requirements, and the DSA/TSR controls have been implemented. Based on DOE direction and safety analysis tools, four waste management nuclear facilities were integrated into one safety basis document. With successful completion of implementation of this safety document, lessons-learned from the in-process review, safety analysis tools and IVR process were documented for future action

Hanford's Radioactive Mixed Waste Disposal Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenney, D.E.

1995-01-01

The Radioactive Mixed Waste Disposal Facility, is located in the Hanford Site Low-Level Burial Grounds and is designated as Trench 31 in the 218-W-5 Burial Ground. Trench 31 is a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act compliant landfill and will receive wastes generated from both remediation and waste management activities. On December 30, 1994, Westinghouse Hanford Company declared readiness to operate Trench 31, which is the Hanford Site's (and the Department of Energy complex's) first facility for disposal of low-level radioactive mixed wastes

Hanford cultural resources laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, M.K.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes activities of the Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) which was established by the Richland Operations Office in 1987 as part of PNL.The HCRL provides support for the management of the archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources of the site in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

Hanford cultural resources laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, M.K.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes activities of the Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) which was established by the Richland Operations Office in 1987 as part of PNL.The HCRL provides support for the management of the archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources of the site in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act

Annual Hanford seismic report - fiscal year 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.

1996-12-01

Seismic monitoring (SM) at the Hanford Site was established in 1969 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) under a contract with the US Atomic Energy Commission. Since 1980, the program has been managed by several contractors under the US Department of Energy (USDOE). Effective October 1, 1996, the Seismic Monitoring workscope, personnel, and associated contracts were transferred to the USDOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). SM is tasked to provide an uninterrupted collection and archives of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) located on and encircling the Hanford Site. SM is also tasked to locate and identify sources of seismic activity and monitor changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data compiled are used by SM, Waste Management, and engineering activities at the Hanford Site to evaluate seismic hazards and seismic design for the Site

Field trip guide to the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reidel, S.P.; Lindsey, K.A.; Fecht, K.R.

1992-11-01

This report is designed to provide a guide to the key geologic and hydrologic features of the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site located in south-central Washington. The guide is divided into two parts. The first part is a general introduction to the geology of the Hanford Site and its relation to the regional framework of south-central Washington. The second part is a road log that provides directions to important geologic features on the Hanford Site and descriptions of the locality. The exposures described were chosen for their accessibility and importance to the geologic history of the Hanford Site and to understanding the geohydrology of the Site

Nuclear industry in a country with a substantial oil reserve

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alvarez, R.; Castillo, H.; Costa, D.; Galan, I.; Martinez, M.

1981-01-01

The importance of the development of a nuclear industry in a country like Mexico, with a substantial oil reserve is analyzed, taking into account the technical, economical, political, ecological and social aspects of the problem. (author)

Measurement and estimated health risks of volatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls in air at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patton, G.W.; Cooper, A.T.; Blanton, M.L.

1994-10-01

A variety of radioactive and nonradioactive chemicals have been released in effluent streams and discharged to waste disposal facilities during the nuclear materials production period at the Hanford Site. Extensive environmental surveillance for radioactive materials has occurred at Hanford; however, only limited information is available on the types and concentrations of organic pollutants potentially present. This report describes work performed to provide the Hanford Site Surface Environmental Surveillance Project with representative air concentration data for volatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) volatile organic compound sampling methods evaluated for Hanford Site use were carbon-based adsorbent traps (TO-2) and Summa air canisters (TO-14). Polychlorinated biphenyls were sampled using USEPA method (TO-4), which uses glass fiber filters and polyurethane foam adsorbent beds to collect the PCBS. This report also presents results for environmental surveillance samples collected for volatile organic compound and PCB analyses from 1990 to 1993. All measured air concentrations of volatile organic compounds and PCBs were well below applicable maximum allowable concentration standards for air contaminants. Because of the lack of ambient air concentration standards, a conservative estimate is provided of the potential human health impacts from exposure to the ambient air concentrations measured on the Hanford Site

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2006-01-01

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL's Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL's Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2005-02-25

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL’s Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database.

Environmental monitoring at Hanford for 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, K.R.; Carlile, J.M.V.; Dirkes, R.L.; Jaquish, R.E.; Trevathan, M.S.; Woodruff, R.K.

1985-05-01

Environmental surveillance activities performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Department of Energy's Hanford Site for 1984 are discussed in this report. Samples of environmental media were collected in support of the Hanford Environmental Monitoring Program to determine radionuclide concentrations in the Hanford environs. Radiological impacts in terms of radiation dose equivalents as a result of Hanford operations are also discussed. Gross beta radioactivity concentrations in airborne particulates at all sampling locations were lower in 1984 than during 1983 as a result of declining levels of worldwide fallout. Slightly higher levels of 85 Kr and 129 I were noted at several onsite and offsite locations. The sampling location in close proximity to the PUREX plant also detected increased 3 H. Very low levels of radionuclides were detected in samples of Columbia River water during 1984. An extensive groundwater monitoring program was performed for the Hanford Site during 1984. The 3 H and nitrate plumes continued to move slowly toward the Columbia River. All 3 H results were within applicable concentration guides. Samples of deer, rabbits, game birds, waterfowl and fish were collected onsite or in the Columbia River at locations where the potential for radionuclide uptake was most likely, or at the nearest locations where wildlife samples were available. Radioisotope levels were measured. Dose rates from external penetrating radiation measured in the vicinity of residential areas were similar to those observed in the previous years, and no contribution from Hanford activities could be identified. An assessment of the 1984 potential radiological impacts attributable to the Hanford operations indicated that measured and calculated radiation doses to the public continued to be low, and well below applicable regulatory limits. 21 refs., 48 figs., 83 tabs

Interface agreement for the management of 308 Building Spent Nuclear Fuel. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danko, A.D.

1995-01-01

The Hanford Site Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Project was formed to manage the SNF at Hanford. Specifically, the mission of the SNF Project on the Hanford Site is to ''provide safe, economic, environmentally sound management of Hanford SNF in a manner which stages it for final disposition.'' The current mission of the Fuel Fabrication Facilities Transition Project (FFFTP) is to transition the 308 Building for turn over to the Environmental Restoration Contractor for decontamination and decommissioning

RADIONUCLIDE AIR EMISSIONS REPORT FOR THE HANFORD SITE CY2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ROKKAN, D.J.

2004-01-01

This report documents radionuclide air emissions from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site in 2003 and the resulting effective dose equivalent (EDE) to the maximally exposed individual (MEI) member of the public. The report has been prepared in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Protection of the Environment, Part 61, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, Subpart H, ''National Emission Standards for Emissions of Radionuclides Other than Radon from Department of Energy Facilities''; Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Chapter 246-247, ''Radiation Protection-Air Emissions''; 10 CFR 830.120, Quality Assurance; DOE Order 414.1B, Quality Assurance; NQA-1, Quality Assurance Requirements for Nuclear Facility Application; EPA QA/R-2, EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans; and EPA QA/R-5, Requirements for Quality Assurance Project Plans. The federal regulations in Subpart H of 40 CFR 61 require the measurement and reporting of radionuclides emitted from DOE facilities and the resulting public dose from those emissions. A standard of 10 mrem/yr EDE is not to be exceeded. The EDE to the MEI due to routine and nonroutine emissions in 2003 from Hanford Site point sources was 0.022 mrem (0.00022 mSv), or 0.22 percent of the federal standard. The portions of the Hanford Site MEI dose attributable to individual point sources as listed in Section 2.0 are appropriate for use in demonstrating the compliance of abated stack emissions with applicable terms of the Hanford Site Air Operating Permit and of Notices of Construction. The state has adopted the 40 CFR 61 standard of 10 mrem/yr EDE into their regulations, yet further requires that the EDE to the MEI be calculated not only from point source emissions but also from diffuse and fugitive sources of emissions. WAC 246-247 also requires the reporting of radionuclide emissions from all Hanford Site sources during routine as well as nonroutine operations. The EDE from

Hanford Site sustainable development initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, C.T.

1994-05-01

Since the days of the Manhattan Project of World War II, the economic well being of the Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland) of Washington State has been tied to the US Department of Energy missions at the nearby Hanford Site. As missions at the Site changed, so did the economic vitality of the region. The Hanford Site is now poised to complete its final mission, that of environmental restoration. When restoration is completed, the Site may be closed and the effect on the local economy will be devastating if action is not taken now. To that end, economic diversification and transition are being planned. To facilitate the process, the Hanford Site will become a sustainable development demonstration project

The Successful Utilization Of Commercial Treatment Capabilities To Disposition Hanford's No-Path-Forward Suspect Transuranic Wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blackford, L.T.; Catlow, R.L.; West, L.D.; Collins, M.S.; Romine, L.D.; Moak, D.J.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office (RL) has adopted the 2015 Vision for Cleanup of the Hanford Site. The CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company's (CHPRC) Waste and Fuels Management Project (W and FMP) and their partners support this mission by providing centralized waste management services for the Hanford Site waste generating organizations. At the time of the CHPRC contract award (August 2008) slightly more than 9,000 cubic meters (m 3 ) of legacy waste was defined as ''no-path-forward waste.'' A significant portion of this waste (7,650 m 3 ) comprised wastes with up to 50 grams of special nuclear materials (SNM) in oversized packages recovered during retrieval operations and large glove boxes removed from Hanford's Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP). Through a collaborative effort between the DOE, CHPRC, and Perma-Fix Environmental Services, Inc. (PESI), pathways for these problematic wastes were developed and are currently being implemented.

Hanford Site Environmental Report for calendar year 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E.

1993-06-01

This report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations at the Hanford Site. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1992 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss public dose estimates from 1992 Hanford activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, and discuss activities to ensure quality

Hanford Site Environmental Report for calendar year 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E. [eds.

1993-06-01

This report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations at the Hanford Site. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1992 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss public dose estimates from 1992 Hanford activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Facility contingency plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutton, L.N.; Miskho, A.G.; Brunke, R.C.

1993-10-01

The Hanford Facility Contingency Plan, together with each TSD unit-specific contingency plan, meets the WAC 173-303 requirements for a contingency plan. This plan includes descriptions of responses to a nonradiological hazardous materials spill or release at Hanford Facility locations not covered by TSD unit-specific contingency plans or building emergency plans. This plan includes descriptions of responses for spills or releases as a result of transportation activities, movement of materials, packaging, and storage of hazardous materials

Hanford Mission Plan risk-based prioritization methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesser, W.A.; Madden, M.S.; Pyron, N.M.; Butcher, J.L.

1994-08-01

Sites across the US Department (DOE) complex recognize the critical need for a systematic method for prioritizing among their work scope activities. Here at the Hanford Site, Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) conducted preliminary research into techniques to meet this need and assist managers in making financial resource allocation decisions. This research is a subtask of the risk management task of the Hanford Mission Plan as described in the WHC Integrated Planning Work Breakdown Structure 1.8.2 Fiscal Year 1994 Work Plan. The research team investigated prioritization techniques used at other DOE sites and compared them with the Priority Planning Grid (PPG), a tool used at Hanford. The authors concluded that the PPG could be used for prioritization of resource allocation, but it needed to be revised to better reflect the Site's priorities and objectives. The revised PPG was tested with three Hanford programs, the PPG was modified, and updated procedures were prepared

Public involvement in environmental surveillance at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanf, R.W. Jr.; Patton, G.W.; Woodruff, R.K.; Poston, T.M.

1994-08-01

Environmental surveillance at the Hanford Site began during the mid-1940s following the construction and start-up of the nation's first plutonium production reactor. Over the past approximately 45 years, surveillance operations on and off the Site have continued, with virtually all sampling being conducted by Hanford Site workers. Recently, the US Department of Energy Richland Operations Office directed that public involvement in Hanford environmental surveillance operations be initiated. Accordingly, three special radiological air monitoring stations were constructed offsite, near hanford's perimeter. Each station is managed and operated by two local school teaches. These three stations are the beginning of a community-operated environmental surveillance program that will ultimately involve the public in most surveillance operations around the Site. The program was designed to stimulate interest in Hanford environmental surveillance operations, and to help the public better understand surveillance results. The program has also been used to enhance educational opportunities at local schools

Hanford Site Risk Assessment Methodology. Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

This methodology has been developed to prepare human health and ecological evaluations of risk as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) remedial investigations (RI) and the Resource conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) facility investigations (FI) performed at the Hanford Site pursuant to the hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Ecology et al. 1994), referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement. Development of the methodology has been undertaken so that Hanford Site risk assessments are consistent with current regulations and guidance, while providing direction on flexible, ambiguous, or undefined aspects of the guidance. The methodology identifies site-specific risk assessment considerations and integrates them with approaches for evaluating human and ecological risk that can be factored into the risk assessment program supporting the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Consequently, the methodology will enhance the preparation and review of individual risk assessments at the Hanford Site

Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites Closure Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

From 1975 to 1991 the Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites (HPADS) were used for demolition events. These demolition events were a form of thermal treatment for spent or abandoned chemical waste. Because the HPADS will no longer be used for this thermal activity, the sites will be closed. Closure will be conducted pursuant to the requirements of the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) Dangerous Waste Regulations, Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-303-610 and 40 CFR 270.1. Closure also will satisfy closure requirements of WAC 173-303-680 and for the thermal treatment closure requirements of 40 CFR 265.381. This closure plan presents a description of the HPADS, the history of the waste treated, and the approach that will be followed to close the HPADS. Because dangerous waste does not include the source, special nuclear, and by-product material components of mixed waste, radionuclides are not within the scope of WAC 173-303 or of this closure plan. The information on radionuclides is provided only for general knowledge where appropriate. Only dangerous constituents derived from HPADS operations will be addressed in this closure plan in accordance with WAC 173-303-610(2)(b)(i). The HPADS are actually two distinct soil closure areas within the Hanford Patrol Academy training area

Comparison or organic and inorganic ion exchange materials for removal of cesium and strontium from Hanford waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, G.N.; Carson, K.J.; DesChane, J.R.; Elovich, R.J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

1997-10-01

This work is part of an ESP-CP task to develop and evaluate high-capacity, selective, solid extractants for the uptake of cesium, strontium, and technetium (Cs, Sr, and Tc) from nuclear wastes. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) staff, in collaboration with researchers from industry, academia, and national laboratories are investigating these and other novel and commercial ion exchangers for use in nuclear waste remediation of groundwater, HLW, and LLW. Since FY 1995, experimental work at PNNL has focused on small-scale batch distribution (K{sub d}) testing of numerous solid sorbents with actual and simulated Hanford wastes, chemical and radiolytic stability of various organic ion exchanger resins, bench-scale column ion exchange testing in actual and simulated Complexant Concentrate (CC) and Neutralized Current Acid Waste (NCAW), and Tc and Sr removal from groundwater and LLW. In addition, PNNL has continued to support various site demonstrations at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Savannah River Site, West Valley Nuclear Services, Hanford N-Springs, and Hanford N-Basin using technologies developed by their industrial partners. This summary will focus on batch distribution results from the actual waste tests. The data collected in these development and testing tasks provide a rational basis for the selection and direct comparison of various ion exchange materials in simulated and actual HLW, LLW, and groundwater. In addition, prediction of large-scale column loading performance for the materials tested is possible using smaller volumes of actual waste solution. The method maximizes information while minimizing experimental expense, time, and laboratory and process wastes.

Hanford Site cleanup and transition: Risk data needs for decision making (Hanford risk data gap analysis decision guide)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajewski, S.; Glantz, C.; Harper, B.; Bilyard, G.; Miller, P.

1995-10-01

Given the broad array of environmental problems, technical alternatives, and outcomes desired by different stakeholders at Hanford, DOE will have to make difficult resource allocations over the next few decades. Although some of these allocations will be driven purely by legal requirements, almost all of the major objectives of the cleanup and economic transition missions involve choices among alternative pathways. This study examined the following questions: what risk information is needed to make good decisions at Hanford; how do those data needs compare to the set(s) of risk data that will be generated by regulatory compliance activities and various non-compliance studies that are also concerned with risk? This analysis examined the Hanford Site missions, the Hanford Strategic Plan, known stakeholder values, and the most important decisions that have to be made at Hanford to determine a minimum domain of risk information required to make good decisions that will withstand legal, political, and technical scrutiny. The primary risk categories include (1) public health, (2) occupational health and safety, (3) ecological integrity, (4) cultural-religious welfare, and (5) socio-economic welfare

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-06-26

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, seven local earthquakes were recorded during the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. The largest event recorded by the network during the second quarter (February 3, 2008 - magnitude 2.3 Mc) was located northeast of Richland in Franklin County at a depth of 22.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, two earthquakes occurred at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), three earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and two earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, five earthquakes occurred in swarm areas and two earthquakes were classified as random events.

1998 report on Hanford Site land disposal restrictions for mixed waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Black, D.G.

1998-01-01

This report was submitted to meet the requirements of Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) Milestone M-26-01H. This milestone requires the preparation of an annual report that covers characterization, treatment, storage, minimization, and other aspects of managing land-disposal-restricted mixed waste at the Hanford Facility. The US Department of Energy, its predecessors, and contractors on the Hanford Facility were involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials from the early 1940s to the late 1980s. These production activities have generated large quantities of liquid and solid mixed waste. This waste is regulated under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of l976 and the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This report covers only mixed waste. The Washington State Department of Ecology, US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Department of Energy have entered into the Tri-Party Agreement to bring the Hanford Facility operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement required development of the original land disposal restrictions (LDR) plan and its annual updates to comply with LDR requirements for mixed waste. This report is the eighth update of the plan first issued in 1990. The Tri-Party Agreement requires and the baseline plan and annual update reports provide the following information: (1) Waste Characterization Information -- Provides information about characterizing each LDR mixed waste stream. The sampling and analysis methods and protocols, past characterization results, and, where available, a schedule for providing the characterization information are discussed. (2) Storage Data -- Identifies and describes the mixed waste on the Hanford Facility. Storage data include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 dangerous waste codes, generator process knowledge needed to identify the waste and to make LDR determinations, quantities

1998 report on Hanford Site land disposal restrictions for mixed waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Black, D.G.

1998-04-10

This report was submitted to meet the requirements of Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) Milestone M-26-01H. This milestone requires the preparation of an annual report that covers characterization, treatment, storage, minimization, and other aspects of managing land-disposal-restricted mixed waste at the Hanford Facility. The US Department of Energy, its predecessors, and contractors on the Hanford Facility were involved in the production and purification of nuclear defense materials from the early 1940s to the late 1980s. These production activities have generated large quantities of liquid and solid mixed waste. This waste is regulated under authority of both the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of l976 and the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. This report covers only mixed waste. The Washington State Department of Ecology, US Environmental Protection Agency, and US Department of Energy have entered into the Tri-Party Agreement to bring the Hanford Facility operations into compliance with dangerous waste regulations. The Tri-Party Agreement required development of the original land disposal restrictions (LDR) plan and its annual updates to comply with LDR requirements for mixed waste. This report is the eighth update of the plan first issued in 1990. The Tri-Party Agreement requires and the baseline plan and annual update reports provide the following information: (1) Waste Characterization Information -- Provides information about characterizing each LDR mixed waste stream. The sampling and analysis methods and protocols, past characterization results, and, where available, a schedule for providing the characterization information are discussed. (2) Storage Data -- Identifies and describes the mixed waste on the Hanford Facility. Storage data include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 dangerous waste codes, generator process knowledge needed to identify the waste and to make LDR determinations, quantities

Radionuclide releases to the atmosphere from Hanford Operations, 1944--1972. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeb, C.M.

1994-05-01

The purpose of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of radionuclide emissions since 1944 from the Hanford Site. The first step in determining dose is to estimate the amount and timing of radionuclide releases to air and water. This report provides the air release information.

Listed waste history at Hanford facility TSD units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskho, A.G.

1996-01-01

This document was prepared to close out an occurrence report that Westinghouse Hanford Company issued on December 29, 1994. Occurrence Report RL-WHC-GENERAL-1994-0020 was issued because knowledge became available that could have impacted start up of a Hanford Site facility. The knowledge pertained to how certain wastes on the Hanford Site were treated, stored, or disposed of. This document consolidates the research performed by Westinghouse Hanford Company regarding listed waste management at onsite laboratories that transfer waste to the Double-Shell Tank System. Liquid and solid (non-liquid) dangerous wastes and mixed wastes at the Hanford Site are generated from various Site operations. These wastes may be sampled and characterized at onsite laboratories to meet waste management requirements. In some cases, the wastes that are generated in the field or in the laboratory from the analysis of samples require further management on the Hanford Site and are aggregated together in centralized tank storage facilities. The process knowledge presented herein documents the basis for designation and management of 242-A Evaporator Process Condensate, a waste stream derived from the treatment of the centralized tank storage facility waste (the Double-Shell Tank System). This document will not be updated as clean up of the Hanford Site progresses

Potential radiation doses from 1994 Hanford Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soldat, J.K.; Antonio, E.J.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report summarizes the potential radiation doses to the public from releases originating at the Hanford Site. Members of the public are potentially exposed to low-levels of radiation from these effluents through a variety of pathways. The potential radiation doses to the public were calculated for the hypothetical MEI and for the general public residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the Hanford Site.

Potential radiation doses from 1994 Hanford Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soldat, J.K.; Antonio, E.J.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report summarizes the potential radiation doses to the public from releases originating at the Hanford Site. Members of the public are potentially exposed to low-levels of radiation from these effluents through a variety of pathways. The potential radiation doses to the public were calculated for the hypothetical MEI and for the general public residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the Hanford Site

Hanford Site Transuranic (TRU) Waste Certification Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GREAGER, T.M.

2000-01-01

As a generator of transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed waste destined for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Hanford Site must ensure that its TRU waste meets the requirements of US. Department of Energy (DOE) 0 435.1, ''Radioactive Waste Management,'' and the Contact-Handled (CH) Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP-WAC). WIPP-WAC requirements are derived from the WIPP Technical Safety Requirements, WIPP Safety Analysis Report, TRUPACT-II SARP, WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit, and Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 191/194 Compliance Certification Decision. The WIPP-WAC establishes the specific physical, chemical, radiological, and packaging criteria for acceptance of defense TRU waste shipments at WIPP. The WPP-WAC also requires that participating DOE TRU waste generator/treatment/storage sites produce site-specific documents, including a certification plan, that describe their program for managing TRU waste and TRU waste shipments before transferring waste to WIPP. Waste characterization activities provide much of the data upon which certification decisions are based. Waste characterization requirements for TRU waste and TRU mixed waste that contains constituents regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are established in the WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit Waste Analysis Plan (WAP). The Hanford Site Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) (HNF-2599) implements the applicable requirements in the WAP and includes the qualitative and quantitative criteria for making hazardous waste determinations. The Hanford Site must also ensure that its TRU waste destined for disposal at WPP meets requirements for transport in the Transuranic Package Transporter-11 (TRUPACT-11). The US. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) establishes the TRUPACT-11 requirements in the Safety Analysis Report for the TRUPACT-II Shipping Package (TRUPACT-11 SARP). In

Vascular Plants of the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sackschewsky, Michael R.; Downs, Janelle L.

2001-09-28

This report provides an updated listing of the vascular plants present on and near the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. This document is an update of a listing of plants prepared by Sackschewdky et al. in 1992. Since that time there has been a significant increase in the botanical knowledge of the Hanford Site. The present listing is based on an examination of herbarium collections held at PNNL, at WSU-Tri Cities, WSU-Pullman, Bringham Young University, and The University of Washington, and on examination of ecological literature derived from the Hanford and Benton county areas over the last 100 years. Based on the most recent analysis, there are approximately 725 different plant species that have been documented on or around the Hanford Site. This represents an approximate 20% increase in the number of species reported within Sackschewsky et al. (1992). This listing directly supports DOE and contractor efforts to assess the potential impacts of Hanford Site operations on the biological environment, including impacts to rare habitats and to species listed as endangered or\\ threatened. This document includes a listing of plants currently listed as endangered, threatened, or otherwise of concern to the Washington Natural Heritage Program or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as those that are currently listed as noxious weeds by the State of Washington. Also provided is an overview of how plants on the Hanford Site can be used by people. This information may be useful in developing risk assessment models, and as supporting information for clean-up level and remediation decisions.

Hydrogeologic model for the old Hanford townsite